24
by SapphireTrafficker
Summary: *Give me twenty-four hours to show you that a normal relationship between us is worth it* OOC. 2nd in the Top Five FSOG Stories Facebook Group April WIP! 5th in June Completed!
1. PROLOGUE

_**PROLOGUE**_

The last weekend with a submissive had never been this hard to think of for Christian Grey, but this brunette derailed him. In his grand scheme of plans, women had never been any part of it. While he needed women to entertain him during the weekends and to relieve him of the stress, he never saw them as a permanent fixture in his life.

When he talked to John the other day, the expensive charlatan asked him a question.

 _"Now, close your eyes. I want you to imagine a weekend without a submissive." He did what he was told, albeit reluctantly, he started to picture the next weekend. Usually, he would wait a while before getting the next submissive if the previous contract was terminated, and the next weekend would be exactly those filter weekends. "What do you feel?"_

 _"I don't know. How can I know?" He grunted a response, still with his eyes closed._

 _"How were your previous weekends between subs, Christian?" The doctor asked gently._

 _"Repetitive."_

 _"And?"_

 _"Boring."_

 _"And?"_

 _"Lonely?"_

 _"That's something new." He murmured under his breath, and that made Christian open his eyes to see the therapist writing on his notepad. "Now, picture a weekend without Anastasia."_

 _"It'll just be like all the other weekends when I don't have a sub." He shrugged nonchalantly, failing to see the point of bringing up the name of his current submissive, the only girl they've talked about during sessions._

 _"Tell me this then," the good doctor shifted in his seat, approaching the problem from a different angle, even though Christian didn't know what issue was there in the first place. "Throughout your three-months contract with this girl, we've had…" he paused, flipping through his notes, "including this one, five sessions — three in here, and the rest on the phone." He flipped back to the current page and looked up at Christian's confused face. "Why?"_

 _"What do you mean why?"_

 _"You see me at least once a week, but you've blew me off since that girl signed your contract."_

 _"I don't need you."_

 _"Okay. Let's see, the first time you mentioned her to me was when you were trying to get her to sign your contract. You told me she was not into the lifestyle but was willing to try but never found the Dom." Christian nodded, still failing to see the point of going over the contents of their previous sessions. "You told me you've never been so happy to contract a sub." He nodded again, still frowning. "Then it was your phone call to me when she told you that she wasn't available during the week when you called." Dr. Flynn paused before continuing. "Your next appointment was about you finding out that she had been drinking in the club where you two met, you went there and she saw you and slipped out. You went thermonuclear on Taylor when you saw her drinking with a man and not with her best friend."_

 _"Because fucking Elliot was with Kate." Christian scoffed at the memory of that night._

 _"Now, your fourth appointment." He continued, completely ignoring Christian's outburst. "A phone call. You were confused why you never had the heart to deliver her the punishment she deserved but turned each and every one of them into something painless and pleasurable. You said you enjoyed it and she agreed."_

 _"Okay. Where are we going with this?"_

 _Dr. Flynn smiled. "Since this girl came around, you seemed a lot better. Happier, and more bright in general. And, not to mention, all your appointments are about this girl."_

 _"Yeah, because she's driving me insane."_

 _He nodded at his patient's frustration. "What did you feel when you saw her at the bar that night with a male friend and not Kate?"_

 _"I've told you this before."_

 _"So you remember that feeling then."_

 _"Of fucking course."_

 _"Then are they the same feelings that you feel when you thought of her leaving after the contract ended?"_

"Are they?" He asked himself with the contract in his hand, musing over the question and analyzing his feelings when he imagined how the afternoon may go. He wasn't even ready to see her when he heard the door to the submissive's room open and close.

Then his eyes landed on the clause that many submissives found ridiculous, funny or interesting. He had seen all sorts of reactions to this particular clause when he handed the contract to the women. Again, his current one was the only one without a reaction. Right from the beginning, he just knew that she would never cease to amaze him. He knew that she was trouble the minute he saw her reaction, rather the lack there of, when he presented that contract in front of her.

/The submissive is granted permission to sing for the Dominant before the termination of the contract, regardless the reason for termination. The submissive is allowed to refuse such performance, and is also permitted to gift the Dominant a song of her choosing, if she does not wish to sing./

He knew this clause could bite him in the ass and he was wiling to pay the consequences since he had also noted that the contract was still in effect during the performance. He thought if he was still the Dominant, giving the submissives an opportunity to express themselves would be humane.

When it was the end of a contract, he would remind them of this clause and they were given the choice to sing or leave. Twelve out of the fifteen had either gifted him a song or performed something for him. He would sit in the great room and video-tape the whole thing. It was for his entertainment but also to add to his insurance that the subs were all aware of.

When they perform, they weren't allowed to touch him nor get closer than the normal distance either, but they had no other restrictions. He didn't know what to expect from them when they performed, because their songs were chosen by themselves and not required to go through him. If the submissive didn't confess after the song they would do it through the song, and all twelve of them had told him in different forms that they were in love with him. In hindsight, he would like to believe that some of them were just infatuated with him but not actually in love.

He didn't want to think of Anastasia Steele as number sixteen. She wasn't just a number to him. He knew he was quite taken with her the first time he laid eyes on her and after the session with John, he knew that his obsession for her went beyond just liking the idea of having her with him.

…

"Miss Steele," he started when she stepped into his office. "Please, take a seat." He had only used that tone with a submissive when they had thoroughly pleased him during the contracted period or in their latest session in the playroom. He found himself using this tone with this particular submissive more than he had in his previous relationships.

Anastasia sat down on the seat that she sat on when she first came over to negotiate. Looking at the items in front of him on the table, she fidgeted nervously.

"Am I clear to assume that you do not wish to continue our arrangement?" He asked.

She nodded, her eyes downcast. "Yes, Sir."

"Can I persuade you to think about extending?" He find himself asking before his mind could stop him. The gasp coming from her confirmed his lack of control at that moment.

She hesitated but spoke in the end. "I'm really sorry, but no, Sir. You can't."

"May I ask why?"

"I'm not sure you'll like the answer to that question, Sir." She replied, timidly. He nodded, silently weighing the risk, debating whether to take it or not.

Deciding against it, he sighed and took the stapled paper in front of him and placed it in front of her.

"Miss Steele, this is the NDA that you signed. Please keep in mind that this is in effect for as long as you're alive." He emphasized.

"Understood, Sir." She nodded.

"Good." He said, taking it back and closing the folder that it was in, placing it to the side of his desk. "Now, I believe there is a clause in the contract that allowed a performance from you before I announce the end of our arrangement."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you wish to sing or gift me a song of your choice?"

She looked uncertain, and even tensed to an extent, but he waited patiently. Taking a deep breath, she released her bottom lip from her teeth and he let out a breath at the same time.

"May I ask has any sub perform to you, Sir?"

"Yes."

"Did any of them gift you a song, Sir?"

"Yes."

/It's now or never, Steele./ She thought to herself.

"Then, yes, I'd like to sing for you." She said, sounding more determined, but there was still the lack of confidence in her voice.

"I should remind you that it will be filmed."

"I understand, Sir." She said, getting up and following him out of the office and into the great room.

"Can I know the name of your song?" He asked when he was setting up the camera. He wouldn't normally ask them this, but for some reason, he wanted her to ease up seeing her this nervous in front of him.

"Have you inquired with other submissives, Sir?"

"No. Just you."

"Then no, Sir. You may not know the name of the song." He stared at her, not feeling offended or striped of power, but astonished at the confidence in her voice and the answer she gave him. "I'd prefer you don't insist on knowing the name, Sir." She added nervously.

"I can still punish you, you know that right?" He was just teasing her, and he knew she wouldn't be intimidated by that and would see right through his bullshit.

"I'm fully aware of it, Sir." She replied, looking at the not set-up camera and the Dominant sitting behind it on the couch.

"Ready when you are." He said, glancing at the camera to ensure that it was recording. He actually recorded their entire conversation, something he had never done before, but he felt like doing it.

She went to the iPod resting on the counter on the side, after fiddling with it for a few moment, the sound of the electric piano came through the stereo. She blushed at the recording. When she looked up, she saw him smiling at her, apparently thinking about the same thing.

…

She couldn't remember what led to that heartfelt confession from her Dom, but it was one night when she was sleeping in her bed after an intense session in the playroom with what started as a punishment but quickly turned into an overwhelmingly pleasuring playtime.

That night, he came into her room and sat on her bed next to her sleeping figure. She knew he was there, she could feel his presence the moment he entered the room. Not wanting him to go, so she remained still.

He reached for her hand and held it in his lap in both of his hands. She thought he felt bad for whipping her with a belt, even though it didn't even went past three strikes before he switched tactics without much of an explanation. It was her shortest punishment, but she wasn't about to complain since she hated belts and canes and he liked them, so she was glad when he only went up to three hits.

Just when she was about to drift back to sleep with him stroking the back of her hand, he started speaking, in a really really soft and gentle voice. One that held so much emotion and showed so much vulnerability to the man she admired. She could never forget listening to that speech. He told her about his formative years, and she could hear how much it affected him. She wanted to comfort him but she also didn't want to startle him at the same time, so she kept her eyes closed.

He left her with a kiss on the forehead, and pictures of the small young boy, helplessly sitting next to his dead mother never left her mind that night. Her eyes shot open immediately after his confession. It was in that moment, that she knew.

Anastasia got up and shrugged into the robe behind the bathroom door after waiting for him to settle back into his bedroom. She snuck out of the door and head to the media room, the one where she would never step foot in even when she was told she was allowed because she didn't want to get too comfortable and show too much to a man that she only knew sexually.

For the second time that she was in there, the first being the time when he took her on a tour of the house telling her the places she was allowed and places she was not. She tiptoed to the recording set at the far corner. Praying for the room to be soundproof, she blocked out the thought of snooping through his X-box set and pushing away the thought of playing video games, it could've been real fun to play it but she refrained herself.

Sitting on the bench in front of the electric keyboard, she looked around to check all the attachments and tried to figure out how it worked. She recognized the set that he owned but never used it before herself. Now that she was in front of it, she was giddy with excitement but also nervous to get caught out of bed.

As she looked around, part of her mind drifted back to the time when she first looked at the contract. When she saw the clause about performance, she almost said no to the Dominant, but on second thought, she didn't think she could say that after witnessing him watching her dance in a club full of people. Since then, she knew she could only agree to a three month arrangement because ultimately, she would want a normal relationship and not a sexual, contracted one. She only wanted to experience BDSM after reading so much about it.

Ever since she signed the contract, she would always think of songs that she could gift him in the end, but whenever she thought she had a good one, a weekend with him dismissed that thought immediately.

The confession earlier made her thought of the perfect song. She knew him to an extent but now that she knew more, she was more firm about her choice of the song and she decided to record it for him instead of singing in front of him because she didn't want to be filmed.

Pulling her phone out and finding the song, she listened to it over and over again just to play the background music herself and record it. She thought of finding the karaoke version online, but she didn't want the voices of the backup singers, so she put on the headphone attached to the keyboard and started to record.

She didn't know what attracted him since she was certain that she wasn't making any noise loud enough to pass through the wall and out across the great room to his bedroom.

Startled, she looked up to the slightly opened door, she knew he was peaking in and looking at her, because she felt him.

"What are you doing out of bed, in the middle of the night no less?" He asked, his voice not accusing but curious.

She bit back the remark about sounding like her father, and looked to the ground when he walked into the room, approaching her. She stood up quickly, not wanting him to see the content on the screen. She knew he played so he could understand the music score that she was writing.

"I asked you a question." He chuckled, stopping when he sensed that she didn't want him to see what she was doing.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I thought I was allowed to be in here."

"You are, but I'm just curious as to why you're here in the middle of the night."

"I- um…" she stuttered, not knowing how to tell him.

"Are you doing a project?"

"Yes." She answered quickly, "it's for you, Sir." She added, just trying to avoid talking about it.

"For me?"

"Yeah… uh… it's supposed to be a surprise." She explained in a small voice.

"A surprise? For me?"

"Yes, Sir." She almost sounded exasperated. "Have you not gotten a surprise before?" She blurted out before she could stop herself. "Sorry, Sir."

"I don't like surprises, so people don't usually try to surprise me." Completely disregarding her apology seeing no reason for her to apologize.

"Can you, please, make an exception for me, Sir? I promise it's nothing bad." She pleaded.

"Okay, I'll you make an exception for you." He replied softly, giving her a rare smile. "Now can you tell me why you're in the dark?"

"Oh, uh, I just forgot to turn on the lights. I was too excited." She replied shyly.

"Then I'll leave you to finish it before you forget your muse completely." He said, walking up to her, lifting her chin up with his forefinger and planting a gentle kiss on her lips before turning around, turning on the lights and closing the door behind him.

It might just be her seeing too much into the small goodnight kiss, but she was more confident of the song that she was going to gift him.

…

 _I believe, I believe there's love in you_

 _Gridlocked on the dusty avenues_

 _Inside your heart, just afraid to let go_

Moving gracefully into the room, Anastasia glided into the room with grace. In that very second, Grey understood the reason behind Anastasia's unusual choice of dressing.

An ordinary girl like her would like to be in a t-shirt and a part of jeans because she never wanted people to notice her, so she would dress as plainly as possible.

But today, she was in a dress that was obviously one from the wardrobe that he bought had and was forced to accept as a submissive.

It was a long silk dress in royal blue. It would definitely not be her go-to clothes normally, but both of them had to admit that it suits her, despite not being her style. She looked more elegant and as she grazed her entrance by gliding over the floor like a graceful dancer that she was, the hem of the dress hovering just above the ground and seemingly touching it but also not at the same time.

Listening more closely while watching her dance, he realized that it was her voice. He was floored at the sound of her voice and her steps knowing that she was no professional ballet dancer and pegging her more like a street dance kind of girl since that was what she was doing when they first met. At the same time, he liked this contemporary dance routine she was doing.

 _I am more, I am more than innocent_

 _But just take a chance and let me in_

 _And I'll show you ways that you don't know_

He scoffed at that thought of letting someone in but smiled when she said she was more than innocent. He would definitely beg to differ when her face flushed the first time he asked her of her hard and soft limits. She was so uncomfortable when they talked about sex, he thought if that wasn't her innocence then what was.

For some reason, that just poked right into his non-existed heart. It was what John Flynn kept telling him, that he was too guarded and he needed to let some people in because sooner or later, he would realize that he was lonely.

 _I do remember telling him that I felt lonely._ He rolled his eyes to himself, checking that Anastasia was too busy dancing to not notice that subtle move, he let out a small relieved sigh.

 _Don't complicate it_

 _Don't let the past dictate_

 _Yeah_

 _I have been patient, but slowly I'm losing faith_

If the previous part of the verse wasn't talking directly to him then this definitely was. He shook his head at the wit of this woman. All the other women were singing about themselves, about relationships and feelings, but this woman amazed him to no end. Here she was, singing to him what his therapist had been telling him ever since they got to the bottom of his problems.

 _Past._ That meant that she had heard his confession. He shuddered at the thought of anyone knowing anything about him personally. To an extent, he was ashamed of it because whenever he said it to someone, they would pity him and look at him differently, and he didn't want that.

 _So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

It was then, he knew that she was saying something to him. She heard his story and she saw right through him. It amazed him even more just how much this girl really knew him.

She might not know much _about_ him, but she definitely knew her, better than he knew himself.

When they were together, he had an inkling feeling that she felt something for him, too. In spite of the spark that he was trying to ignore, there was something in him that felt connected and attached to her. No one had called him 'baby' before and he didn't give any endearment to anyone either, but that didn't stop him from calling her 'baby' in his mind, he just failed to notice.

 _I believe, I believe you could love me_

 _But you're lost on the road to misery_

 _And what I gave to you_

 _I could never get back!_

 _Don't complicate it_

 _Don't drive yourself insane_

 _Yeaaah_

 _Say what you will but I know that you want to stay!_

For some reason, the way she confessed her love for him didn't annoy him. He welcomed her profession of love and for one, he felt like something in him settled down.

The more he listened to the words, the less he focused on her dance moves.

 _[So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby]_

Staring at the girl moving in front of him, he could almost feel her begging him. From her moves and the expression on her face, he thought she looked desperate and maybe even in despair. He would like to think that it was just part of the performance, but he knew those girls poured their hearts into the preparation because it was their only chance to declare their love for him.

 _Chemicals rushing in_

 _I know it's you that I belong to_

 _I'm burning like a cannonball in the air_

 _Crashing into who I belong to_

 _Ooooh oh, ooooh_ oooohh

 _Now, that's a little presumptuous, but I'll take it for now._ He thought to himself, but on second thought, the idea of her being with someone else made his blood boil. If he enjoyed everything with her, then other people would too, and he didn't want something this good in other people's hands.

He knew she was a free spirit and she lived like one. He didn't know if he wanted to know about her life that didn't include him, because he couldn't really stomach the thought of the female personality of Elliot out in the public without him.

 _I have been patient, but slowly I'm losing faith_

 _Please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _Please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _So please, I know you baby_

 _I know you baby_

 _(The shadows of your heart_

 _Are hanging in the sweet, sweet air)_

 _I know you baby_

 _(The secrets that you hide, control us and it's just not fair)_

 _I know you baby_

 _(The shadows of your heart_

 _Are hanging in the sweet, sweet air)_

 _I know you baby_

 _(The secrets that you hide, control us and it's just not fair)_

 _I know you baby_

He never felt so exposed than the moment Anastasia bowed elegantly in her sophisticated, chic silk dress, and raised her eyes to look directly into his. It wasn't the first time he saw her eyes, but the raw emotions in them somehow drew him in as he gazed into her eyes.

For the first time, he fully registered just how beautiful they were. Why he hadn't had that thought yet was beyond him, but he knew that pair of eyes ruined him right that moment.

"Why this song?" He blurted out, still entranced in her eyes, and that question seemed to have broken the spell because she broke their eye contact and looked away.

"I'll admit, this isn't the one I originally wanted to give you."

"What happened?"

"You happened." He cocked his head, waiting for her to elaborate. "You came into my room that night and you told me about your past." She bit her bottom lip nervously. "I was awake but didn't want you to stop talking so I didn't make a sound."

"Is that why you were in the media room."

"Yes, I changed my mind about the song, so I decided to record it myself because I wasn't sure if I was able to sing in front you, so I chose to dance to it."

"And you did splendidly."

"Thank you, Sir." She bowed her head again, appreciating the praise.

"What was the original song that you wanted to give me?" He asked her while standing up to reach for the camera that was still videoing.

"I wasn't going to give you something sentimental, but your confession that night kind of made me change my mind." She smiled shyly and timidly at him, peaking up at him to see his reaction through her eyelashes. He smiled back, hoping to ease her nerves so she could continue. "Originally, I was going to leave /Save Rock and Roll/ by Fall Out Boy with you."

"Because?"

"You'll find out once you hear it. It sends a very subtle message and I hope you can grasp it."

…

With that, Anastasia went to her room to collect her bags and belongings. She had already changed and packed up the clothes and everything he had bought her, ready to sell them the moment she got back to her own apartment. She left the car keys here with a note explaining that since she was no longer his submissive, she couldn't afford to take care of a car like that, so she was giving it back.

At the foyer, she was expecting to meet Taylor, but instead, she met her ex-Dominant.

"Hi," she said softly, "I was expecting to see Taylor."

"Why are you trying to scream no?"

"Huh?"

"I listened to the song you originally planned to give me."

"Oh," she giggled, "because you're too spoiled. You always get what you want, you're not used to people saying no to you, so I thought why not be the first one to do so."

"You're funny, Miss Steele."

"I try." She laughed as a smile surfaced his face. "You're pretty interesting yourself, you know? You'll just have to learn to have some faith in other people."

"Do you have faith in me?" He asked in an attempt to keep her talking and keep her from leaving by stepping into the open elevator door.

"Yes, I do, Christian." She said, taking a step closer to the elevator. The way she said his first name made something snap inside him.

As if on instinct, he surged forward and grabbed her hand pulling her back, startling her. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath because she almost turned around to attack him. Turning back, she saw him having an internal debate, so she squeezed his hand, a gesture to encourage him to tell her what was on his mind.

"I have a proposition for you." He began, "give me 24 hours to prove to you that a normal relationship between us is worth a shot."

She didn't believe him because he was insistent that he didn't do romance.

"I mean it, Ana. No one understands the way you do, no one makes me feel the way you make me. I don't want to put a label on my feelings but I want to explore it with you and eventually label it when we figure it out together." He elaborated, he knew she was still doubtful. "Just 24 hours not a second more not a second less. If by this time tomorrow, you still think I'm unworthy of your love, then I will never bother you again. I promise." He looked sincere, even shocking Taylor who was trying to walk as normally as possible.

"What about your work?"

"I'm taking tomorrow off, and if you agree to my proposition, I can call in sick for you. If they need any kind of proof, I can forge one for you. But please, a day. I just need one more day with you."

"Okay."

* * *

Full lyrics of _Save Rock and Roll — Fall Out Boy_

[Intro]  
Until your breathing stops, stops, stops  
Until your breathing stops, stops, stops  
Until your-your-your-your-your, forever, forever

[Verse 1: Patrick Stump]  
I need more dreams and less life  
I need that dark in a little more light  
I cried tears you'll never see  
So fuck you, you can go cry me an ocean  
And leave me be

[Pre-Chorus 1: Patrick Stump]  
You are what you love  
Not who loves you  
In a world full of the word yes  
I'm here to scream

[Chorus: Patrick Stump]  
No, no (no, no)  
Wherever I go, go (go, go)  
Trouble seems to follow  
I only plugged in to save rock and roll (rock and roll)  
No, no (no, no)  
Wherever I go, go (go, go)  
Trouble seems to follow  
Only plugged in to save rock and roll

[Post-Chorus]  
Until your breathing stops, stops, stops  
Until your breathing stops, stops, stops  
Until your-your-your-your-your, forever, forever

[Verse 2: Elton John & _Patrick Stump_ ]  
Blood brothers in desperation  
An oath of silence  
For the voice of a generation  
 _Woah  
How'd it get to be only me?  
Like I'm the last damn kid still kicking  
That still believes_

[Pre-Chorus 2: Elton John & Patrick Stump]  
I will defend the faith  
Going down swinging  
I will save the songs  
The songs that we can't stop singing

[Chorus: Elton John & Patrick Stump]  
No, no (No, no)  
Wherever I go, go (go, go)  
Trouble seems to follow  
I only plugged in to save rock and roll (rock and roll)  
No, no (No, no)  
Wherever I go, go (go, go)  
Trouble seems to follow  
Only plugged in to save rock and roll (forever, forever)

[Bridge 1: Elton John & _Patrick Stump_ & **Both** ]  
 _Oh no, we won't go  
'Cause we don't know when to quit, oh oh  
Oh no, we won't go_  
 **'Cause we don't know how to quit, no, no**  
 _Oh no, we won't go_  
 **'Cause we don't know when to quit, oh oh**  
 _Oh no, we won't go_  
 **'Cause we don't know how to quit, no, no**

[Pre-Chorus 1: Elton John]  
You are what you love  
Not who loves you  
In a world full of the word 'yes'  
I'm here to scream

[Chorus: Elton John & Patrick Stump]  
No, no  
Wherever I go, go  
Trouble seems to follow  
I only plugged in to save rock and roll (rock and roll)  
No, no  
Wherever I go, go  
Trouble seems to follow  
Only plugged in to save rock and roll

[Outro: Patrick Stump & (Elton John) & **Both** ]  
Oh no, we won't go  
'Cause we don't know when to quit, oh oh  
Oh no, we won't go  
'Cause we don't know when to quit, oh oh  
 **No, no,** we won't go (wherever I go, go)  
'Cause we don't know when to quit (trouble seems to follow)  
Oh no, we won't go (I won't back down, save rock and roll)  
'Cause we don't know when to quit, (oh oh)  
 **Oh no, we won't go (wherever I go, go)**  
'Cause we don't know when to quit (trouble seems to follow)  
Oh no, we won't go (I won't back down, save rock and roll)  
'Cause we don't know when to quit, oh oh

—retreived from genius dot com

* * *

 _I Know You_ by Skylar Grey

 _Save Rock And Roll_ by Fall Out Boy

 **X**


	2. FIRST HOUR

_**FIRST HOUR**_

"Okay?"

"Do you not understand the word, Christian." She bit back.

"Your smart mouth's going to get you in so much trouble lately."

"I believe it already did. I know you're trouble." She said pointedly.

"Touché, Anastasia." He chuckled lightly. "So, you're going to stay for another day right?"

"That's twenty-four hours right?"

"Smart ass."

She giggled, then stopped abruptly.

"I have to tell you something."

"Uh oh, that's never good right?"

"Why are we so comfortable with each other without the restriction of the contract?"

"Is that what you're going to tell me?"

"No, but I was just wondering."

"Maybe we can find the answer to it ourselves together, later. Now, tell me, what's on your mind?"

"The reason I chose that Fall Out Boy song isn't only limited to the fact that I hated your cocky, arrogant and egoistic attitude, but I also didn't like the contract and the lifestyle."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Or, why didn't you terminate it?"

"Because, Anastasia Steele never backs out of a challenge."

"So you see me as a challenge."

"Oh yes, and I'm sure a lot of people will tell you the same if they dare."

"Then, what conclusions did you come to?"

"I realized that I want a normal relationship."

"Hearts and flowers?"

"Not really, I don't like flowers. I'm not much of a romantic myself, but I do like sincerity and openness."

"And you want that with me."

"Well, it's your time to reject me now because I haven't decided if it'll be with you or with someone else."

"In this case, please, choose me."

"Give me a good reason why."

"I have twenty-four hours to prove that to you, and you'll be the judge of it."

"Deal. So, what time is it now?"

"3:22 pm."

"So, you have until tomorrow 3:22 pm to show me that you can be normal?"

He scowled at her word choice but nodded nonetheless.

"Jesus, Christian. You're so tense sometimes. No, actually, you're tense all the time." She giggled at his expression. "Oh my god, you are normal, okay. Your past doesn't say shit about you if you don't want them to."

"Mm. So, what do you want to do?"

"Don't you have anything planned? I thought you were trying to convince me of something."

"I do have something planned, but since I've been planning everything for the last three months, I thought maybe you want to plan something for us for a change."

"True. Good thinking."

He smirked. "Also, just for the record," he raised a finger, halting her from her move to the media room. "You've not got a single submissive bone in you, you're possibly the worst sub I've ever had. How the hell did you come up with the idea of wanting to sub for someone?"

"Aw, I guess I chose the wrong Dom then. Poor you, having to endure my inexperience."

"No, not inexperience, Miss Steele." He paused, that caught her attention. "Naughtiness."

"Fuck you, Grey."

"You can do that twenty-four hours later."

Her jaw drops and she gapes at him.

"You can't keep your hands off me for a whole day."

"I've kept it off of you for the last three months, what's twenty-four hours more. I think it's you who can't keep your hands off me."

"I can refrain from sex for a day."

"Easier said than done, Grey. So, wipe that smug grin off your face because I'm pretty sure you're going to be coming on to me some time today."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No, but kissing me also counts, so that's a promise." She shrugged her shoulders and replied nonchalantly in an attempt to be indifferent.

"What? Hey, now that's a means to an end." He protested.

"Are you up for it or not?"

"I can do a day without having sex with you, but I can't last without kissing you when you're with me for the whole day."

"Oh, Mr Grey, you'll just have to suck it up."

"What if you come on to me?"

"Do I look like I dare? I've never done that to you before, remember?"

"I think you'd dare, because you're not bound by a contract now."

She shook her head, not wanting to make any promises just to break it later. She knew herself, she knew she was an introvert with an extrovert's personality. She might do something when she was in the moment, and she knew she may conjure up enough courage and end up kissing the man that was her Dominant not even an hour ago.

"Why did you choose that song?" He asked, following her into the media room.

"Do you ask that question to all of your previous subs?" She countered, going to the Wii set that she had been eying for a while, just a little less than the time she spent on staring at the X-box.

"No, but I also don't ask them to give me a chance to give them more."

"That's true, Grey." She pondered, really not wanting to answer that question, because she knew she would get over him easier if she didn't admit her feelings out loud. She wouldn't say she was in love with him, but she was definitely crushing on him, and she only hoped her feelings for him could be controlled like her feelings for other people.

"But?" He prompted.

"But, I'm still not telling you."

"Are you having second thoughts about this twenty-four hour thing?"

"Not at the moment. No." She grinned when she saw his face, clearly not satisfied with her answer. "You know, Christian. When I prepared that song for you, I realized something."

"Yeah?" He took the control that she handed him and stared at it as if it was an alien to him.

"I'm not cut out for the lifestyle, and so are you."

"What makes you think that I'm not for this lifestyle?" He sounded a little defensive, wanting to defend the lifestyle that he was in.

"I thought about what you told me that night, when you thought I was _unconscious_." She jabbed, reminding him of the time when she told him that a conversation required both parties to be conscious as he was trying to scold her for drinking during the week while she was passed out drunk. He glared back at her for that reminder but she shrugged it off.

"Okay." He stared at the screen that lit up in front of him. He had never been in front of that screen himself, it was always Elliot here fiddling with his play stations.

"I think you have abandonment issues, and you engage in this lifestyle initially because of the thrill that kinky sex brings you, and it later became your mechanism to cope with overwhelming emotions. I don't know what your therapist tells you, but if you keep on going like this in the lifestyle, suppressing the characteristics of your subs just so you can protect yourself by not exposing yourself to another human being and allowing yourself to feel something for another human being, you will start to get bored with this lifestyle and you will slowly come to realization that nothing can satisfy you because you're not willing to try anything new."

She bit her lip after saying all this, thinking that she had gone too far when he made no attempt to form a response. Not daring to look at him in the eyes, she turned back to the screen, adjusting the camera on top of the screen so it could detect the controller. Waving it around, she flipped through the wide range of selections that he didn't even know he had.

"How long have you kept that observation to yourself?"

"Quite a while now…" she said in a small voice.

He sighed, he was now even more certain that this girl was trouble, but he could not bring himself to do anything apart from allowing himself to be lured closer to her.

"How do you know that I have a therapist?"

"It'd be wrong for you to not have one. You'd be spiraling out of control without one and not even a submissive without any hard limit could tame you." She replied simply as if it was obvious.

"I think I want you as my therapist." He joked half-seriously.

"I'm an English lit major remember." She chuckled nervously, still not looking at him, she didn't know how far she could push him since she had never learned about his moods outside of the playroom. "What do you want to play?" She asked, pointing at the screen, she had flipped through all the games by now and had a few in mind.

"Your choice, but you'll have to teach me because I've never played this before."

"What?" She squeaked before he could get the next part of his sentence out. She finally turned around and stared at him incredulously. "You've got a whole set, a very impress one not to mention, here and you've never _ever_ played it before?"

"Only my brother plays it."

"Not even your subs?"

"No, not that I can remember any of them are gamers."

"Sheesh, people need to get a life these days."

"You and my brother will get along so well."

"We do." She slipped, but immediately clamped her hand over her mouth, staring at him with wide apologetic eyes. "Shit." She whispered, "I'm sorry, it's kind of inevitable. Kate's fucking him and Kate's also my best friend, and since I can't tell her about you I can't tell her why I can't meet her boyfriend."

"And you're rambling." The corner of his lips perked up in amusement.

"Sorry."

"What will you do if I didn't ask for more after the contract?"

"I don't know, probably still go out with them when I can't find a legit excuse?"

"And why do you think I have abandonment issue?" He asked, finally getting out the question that he wanted to ask.

She went silent, she knew if she told him the reason she would be pushing it too far.

"Is this okay?" She asked, pointing to the game she had selected.

"Call of Duty?" He did a double take before turning back to the girl, he couldn't believe how the fuck did he got her to submit for him.

"Yeah, have you played it before?"

"Elliot always plays it because he gets to buy whatever he wants with my money."

"So, you know this game."

"Yes, but I just don't know you play it too. You don't strike me as the gamer kind."

"I'm not. I'm not addicted to games, but I do play them sometimes."

"You'll have to teach me though."

"Let me find the place to select multiplayer first." She said, moving the controller around skillfully just like he'd seen Elliot does when he was there.

"Anastasia," he called after a while.

"Yes?"

"You haven't answered me."

"Answer you what?"

"Why do you think I have abandonment issue?"

"I think now's not a good time." She said evasively.

"Just remember that you will have to tell me before the twenty-four hour period is up."

"Sure, whatever." She waved at him dismissively and he chuckled. That reaction made her more certain that the lifestyle was just something that he enforced upon himself, like a discipline but not actually something that he actually needed. He said he needed control but so far, all she could think of was the fact that he was possessive, insecure and hence, jealous. Further making her believe that he had abandonment issue firmer. He didn't need the lifestyle, he needed to learn to trust that there were people out there that would cherish him.

"You're fine with this game right?" She checked once more before clicking confirm on the screen to enter the game.

"I'm fine fake guns on the screen but not fine with real guns."

"Oops." She said to herself.

"What?"

"You're probably going to be far from fine with me."

"Why?"

"I have a gun." She turned to him, biting her lip mischievously and letting out a small giggle.

"You have a what?" He spluttered.

"I'm licensed to carry." She repeated, "but don't worry, Taylor checked me before I got here. I'm not armed in your apartment."

"Don't you even dare think about bringing your gun to my place."

"I can always borrow your security's. I'm sure Sawyer has a gun too."

"Anastasia." He said sternly.

"Okay, okay, sorry. I've gone too far."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair while staring at this woman in front of him. She frustrate him to no end, but he enjoyed her company. She really was a breath of fresh air to his ordinary and repetitive life.

"Are you sure you're okay with this game, then?"

"Yeah." He replied distractedly.

"Christian," she suddenly didn't sound so playful anymore, "we can change a game, really. I don't mind playing this with Elliot next time we meet up."

"You've been to his place?" He froze in his spot.

"Um… yeah… we played his Xbox when we wait for the take out." She averted his gaze and looked back to the screen.

"Well, next time, play here." He said decisively.

"Okay." She squeaked in the smallest voice, shocked at his tone and words.

A bar appeared on the screen, displaying the progress of the game as it loads. Her mind was still replaying the dialogues that were exchanged between them since the moment she told him that she would perform for him.

He was right on one thing though: her behavior was only restricted by the contract, and once that was gone, she had no problem seeing Christian Grey as just another human being rather than a Dominant and a wealthy CEO.

"What have you got in mind for the day? Are you planning on playing this for the majority of the twenty-four hours?" He asked from the side, sounding curious.

"We'll see." Was all she said before she told him to check if his controller was working and adjusted.

Just as she expected, with his inexperience with video games, he was quick to die, and they had actually only been playing for half an hour max, and they had already restarted at least five times because the longest he had survived was because she was protecting him and telling him to stay back and not move. In the end, the place he used as shelter was bombed and he died before he even knew what was happening. That still only lasted for ten minutes.

"You know what? I give up." She said throwing up her hands in the air. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, Christian, but you suck." She pointed a finger at him and said, then bursted out laughing right after.

Raising both his arms up, he mocked surrender while laughing along with her. "Told you I've never played it before. I also remember telling you to be patient with me."

"Patience isn't my virtue."

"You're slowly losing faith." He remembered the line in her song, throwing it back at her.

"In you playing games, hell yes I am losing faith."

"Good to know you haven't lose faith in me."

"You sound like you're going to show me something."

"Yes, I need you to have faith in me."

"Bring it on."

He tossed the controller on to the couch in the media room and gestured her to do the same. She followed him out of the room and into another room.

"You have a library?" She exclaimed as soon as the scent of books struck her nostrils. The dim orange lanterns lighting up the space with a vintage touch made her gasp when she rows and rows of first edition novels. "And you neglected this piece of information from an English Lit major graduate?" She accused him when she followed him further into the room, her fingertips brushing over the spines of the books lightly as if she was afraid to break them.

"Yes, I have a library. And, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He turned around, stopping abruptly in front of her, causing her to walk straight into his chess but steadied herself without touching him. He was blocking an entrance to another room, but she couldn't see anything in that darkroom, so she looked up to see him.

"So he apologizes." She smirked.

"So he does." He laughed, "that's a first." He added.

"I'm sure. Now, what are you hiding?"

"What Elliot calls 'The Balls Room'."

"The silver ones?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You wish," he chuckled, flicking on the lights with a hand and pulled her in with the other arm around her waist, keeping her close to his body.

"I liked the Ben Wa balls, especially the silver ones that could vibrate." She commented in a whispering voice into his ear, sending shivers down his spine momentarily. He couldn't believe just how much this woman was affecting him and his body.

"I'm well aware of that." He said huskily, shaking his head when he saw the smirk on her face telling him that she knew what she could do to him.

"A Snooker table." She stated when he moved out of her direct vision.

"You play?" She was fully aware of the heat radiating off him from behind her as his body enclosed hers with the edge of the table.

"Sure."

And with that, the body heat vanished into thin air as if she dreamed about the scene earlier.

"What are we playing on?" She cleared her throat, trying to clear the sexual tension that was building since they entered the room and her comment on the silver balls.

"I know you've got tons of questions for me, so if you lose, you'll get to ask me something that you think I normally wouldn't answer."

"Oh that's not fair. Most of the questions I have in mind are the ones that you won't answer."

"You'll have to learn to choose."

"Then what if I lose?"

"You'll tell me about all the rules that you've broken during our contractual time."

This was the second time her jaw dropped. She would have thought he would ask for something erotic but his current request was even worse now.

"I know you've been hiding things from me, but it's too bad that I like you so I didn't pry it out of you like I would with others."

"It's unfortunate that you like me." She repeated.

"Stop twisting my words. Do you accept the deal?"

"Yes, and I've thought of a question already." She grinned.

"Who's the arrogant one now, hmm?" He handed her the cue, making sure their fingers brush, igniting the sparks between them whenever they make skin to skin contact.

"Fine." She conceded, "but do you have the patience?"

"Patience isn't either of our virtue, Anastasia."

"I've finished one before." She shrugged.

"Show-off." He teased and she grinned back at him. "I'll admit, I probably can't."

"So what do you suggest?"

"We can play pool."

"On a snooker table."

"Why not?"

"Cool. I was going to suggest we play to time." He stopped his movements to look at her for more explanation. "Since, there are about twenty minutes before our first hour ends, we could play till 4:22 pm and see who's got the most points."

"That's also a great idea."

She stood there and stared at the clock that was ticking by on the wall, she decided.

"Let's play pool. Remembering the points are a little bit challenging, and I don't want you to cheat."

"Me, cheat? Never." He laughed, "but you might." Then bent down to take out the box containing the balls for pool. Anastasia took the balls and arranged them in the wooden triangle as he collected the balls for snooker and put them in their box.

"You wanna break?" He offered.

"You sure?" She smirked.

"Ladies first."

"Now, step away from that table." She demanded.

"Think I'm going to distract you?"

"Payback is a bitch, Christian, keep that in mind." She said in a singing voice before breaking the pool.

The balls split up, spreading out on the table. It was a fine break, and he wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was probably the cleanest break he'd ever seen. For a moment, he was worried that he might lose this game of pool for the first time to this girl.

"Solid."

…

"Keep your hands to yourself, Grey." She warned when she felt his presence behind her when she bent over. She had one more before the black ball and he'd got two more stripes.

"They are to myself." He argued.

"I can feel you lurking somewhere behind me with images of how you can grab my ass floating in your."

"You know me well."

"Well, for once, perv, please step aside." She said, still bent over, aiming at the ball.

When he moved to the opposite side of the table, she suddenly regretted wearing this loose tank top that would show all her front when she bent forward. she said. "Now you're just looking at my cleavage. Move, Grey." She rolled her eyes.

"I saw that." He taunted before moving to the side and out of her side.

Ignoring his comment, she took a shot.

"You've seen my boobs."

"And I've also seen you roll your eyes, baby." He winked, walking past her to the table to analyze the situation. "Did you hide this ball behind the black one on purpose?" He exclaimed when he saw that the white ball was directly between the black ball and the edge of the table.

"Yeah, since I can't get mine in, I should at least make your life miserable." She shrugged. "I calculate everything."

"I can tell."

"As if you don't."

"Not this detailed. I don't plot on my opponent."

"I just like to see people suffer."

"You cruel girl." He muttered absentmindedly before surveying around the table to find a good angle to ensure that the white ball would at least touch a stripe after bounding off the edge.

"You love me." She stuck her tongue out before realizing what she just said.

"Maybe." He mused out loud, and that answer surprised them more than the three words she accidentally slipped out earlier.

"You have a nice ass." She giggled when he bent down.

"So do you, Anastasia, now please," he begged, "shut up."

That only caused her to giggle louder. Christian sighed and hit, hoping that his calculations were correct.

"Oh fuck." He groaned when the white ball followed his striped one into the pocket.

"I guess I really enjoy watching people suffer." She sashayed her way to pick up the ball and place it on the spot where she desired, making sure to sway her hips as she walked, knowing his eyes would zoom in on her ass.

When she got the last solid ball into the pocket, the white ball stopped at the spot where she wanted it to. Looking up at him through her eyelashes.

"Bottom left." She said with a wink and took the corner of her bottom lip under her teeth. When it rolled into the pocket in the slowest way possible, she straightened her back up.

"I hope you're not a sore loser, Christian Grey."

* * *

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 **X**


	3. SECOND HOUR

_**SECOND HOUR**_

 _"I hope you're not a sore loser, Christian Grey."_

Anastasia laid the cue onto the table slowly and gently, never breaking eye contact with him as he followed suit.

"What do you have in mind?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Show me all the recordings of your previous submissive's performance."

His eyes were round as a saucer, "I do hope you don't mean that, Anastasia."

"Oh but I do." She remarked.

"Please don't be upset when you see them."

"And why would I possibly be?" She asked, "Christian, if you think I'd get jealous, then you couldn't be more wrong." She said, "I'm not the jealous type, I don't get possessive. I didn't even label my feelings for you, so don't worry about me getting hurt. Let's just say we're attracted to each other and not define it first, yeah?"

"Okay," he conceded reluctantly and extended his hand waiting for her to take them.

He led her to his office and halted at his desk, rubbing a hand over his face, he went around it and sat on his chair.

"We can always play a second round, right?"

"Are you chickening out on me, Grey?"

"Never."

"Then what?"

"Okay, honestly, I'm just really uncomfortable."

"I get it. I did come on a little too strong without the binding of the contract, I know that." He glared at her for her own acknowledgement, making her giggle at his reaction. "Still, a deal's a deal."

Looking up at the cupboards behind his chair, his eyes surveyed the cupboard doors as if trying to remember which one of them contained the information he needed. Standing up, he reached for one and pulled out a stack of folders.

"Which one do you want to see first?" He asked, his voice full of defeat. Her heart softened at that moment, she wanted to take pity on him.

"How many do you have? Fifteen?"

"No. I've got twelve. Eleven of them performed something, and one of them left a recording for me, with a note attached telling me to listen to it before I get married."

"Which means you're probably never going to listen to that."

"Never say never, Miss Steele." He sang teasingly at her, and she scowled at this mercurial guy before her, wondering just how much did she actually know him.

"So, you've got eleven here. Do you remember all of them?" She asked out of curiosity.

"No," he started to reply, but was soon cut off by the blaring sound of his ringing tone. "Sorry, I have to take this. It's GEH."

"Saved by the bell." She muttered to herself before leaning back in her seat and waited for him to finish his call.

Anastasia stares out of the floor to ceiling window on her side, just looking at the sky blankly. Her mind was empty and there was absolutely nothing to think about right now.

She was brought back to her current situation when she heard a loud sigh and a hand slamming down on to the table.

"Is everything okay?" She asked out of respect. She really didn't want to pry or bound him since it was his business and they were not that close to start with.

"I need to go to the office to sign a few things real quick." He looked really apologetic.

"Oh, on a Sunday?" She registered the information, "then go." She prompted.

"Will you come with me?"

"What?"

"Come with me. I asked you to hangout with me for a day, and this is an emergency situation in the in office but that doesn't mean you have to stay here. Do you want to come with me, or would you rather stay here and indulge yourself in my penthouse?"

"I'll take the invitation." She answered before she could even think too much about.

"Good, then let's go." He said, taking her hand in his and led her to the foyer where the elevator was summoned.

"Wait, I need a jacket."

"I'll get you one." Disappearing into his bedroom and re-emerged just as quickly with a

"Why isn't Taylor driving you?"

"He's going to follow us in the car, I want to take you in the R8."

"I'm honored."

"You're special."

"Am I really?" She scoffed.

"To me, yes. Special to no end." His genuine answer shocked her.

"You are such a sweet talker, Grey."

"You bring that out from me."

They got into his car and he start the engine. They were shooting out of the garage in no time.

"Christian," she said suddenly, sounding alarmed.

"Yeah, baby?" He turned to look at her worriedly when they came to a stop at a light.

"I'm dressed way too casual." She said, looking down at her loose plain black tank top, her denim short and a pair of black leather booties, with an oversized gray jacket that almost covered her ass. She'd look like a model walking down the street if she had a pair of Ray Bans on.

"Don't worry. It's not like I'm dressed in work clothes either."

"But at least you're in a shirt," she took the chance to check him out, and added, "and jeans."

"And believe me baby, my staff would be picking their jaws off the ground the moment they see me walking in dressed like this… with a woman in my arm no less."

Truer words had never been said. The moment he guided her through the reception area of the building's top floor, everyone stopped and gaped. Not only at the dressing of their boss but also at he girl in his arm.

She looked around, offering some of them a small smile as a greeting when they were still too shock to form words and were only able to dart their eyes between her and their boss and the hand around her waist.

"Afternoon, Andrea." He nodded at the blonde hair woman who was shocked by the presence of her boss. Anastasia almost giggled at all their expressions. She wanted to mock his tone and repeat the same to the blonde just to have some fun, but she knew that would be inappropriate.

"They're all on your desk, Mr Grey." She was the first to regain her composure among the gaping staff.

"Someone's making a hell of an entrance." Anastasia sassed, letting him guide her to his office. He said, squeezing her side making her squeal. "Fuck off, Grey. It's tickling." She shoved at him playfully using her shoulder so she wouldn't touch him.

"I sure did." He said releasing her and walking around the desk to sit down behind it, almost glaring at the pile of documents in front of him.

"Why is everyone working today?" She blurted out as she looked around.

"We agreed to work today and have the Fall celebration on Friday."

"You have a party each Fall? Didn't peg you as the party type."

"We have a celebration each season if we're making a profit, and whether it was profit or loss the executive team would always get together for a dinner."

"So, it's usually on the weekend?"

"It's usually on a Saturday," he nodded.

"Then why is it on Friday this time?"

"Because I'm not available next weekend."

"Why not?"

"It's your birthday."

"My birthday isn't in two weeks."

"I know, I'm taking you away for the weekend before your birthday."

"But, I'm supposed to go back to school on tomorrow."

"Actually, I called the school and told them that you're going to be back next week and told them to send everything to you electronically so you can study by yourself. It's only a week, so they were okay with it."

"Did you also pay for me?"

"Yes."

"That was part of the sub packet. Im not your sub anymore."

"I know, but that won't stop me from takin care of you."

"I know you pay for your other subs but I didn't ask for it, Christian. My dad is family is fully capable of paying my tuition."

"I know, but it's done."

"You really should've talked to me first."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"If you think you can still treat me as a sub while trying to pursue a relationship with me at the same time, you've got another thing coming."

"I'm not treating you like a sub, I'm trying to treat you like my girlfriend."

"So I'm your girl now?"

"You've always been my girl. Since three months ago."

"You don't state claims on submissives if I remembered correctly."

"True I don't, but you're more than just a sub to me and I'm only too stubborn to admit that during the three months."

She sighed and decided to let this go for the time being.

"So now you're making everyone work on a Sunday because you want to take me away next week."

"They all agreed," he shrugged, failing to see the point of her fuss. "Besides, it's only the executives that are here."

"I'm still failing to see the reason why it is necessary."

"Okay, let me spell it out for you." He sighed, putting down the page that he was holding and leaned forward to look at her. "I'm taking you away for the weekend, to a non-disclosed place, before your birthday." He looked at her, waiting for her to nod, she did and he continued. "Since the celebration is usually on a Saturday, and the dinner of the executives is on the night of that Saturday, I'm not going to be there this time. Also, as the CEO, my attendance is required, so we're going to move it a day forward and also because we are leaving right after dinner Friday night."

She nodded, really disliking the fact that he was demanding so many people to come to work on a Sunday when they could spend it with their family just because he was taking her to somewhere to celebrate her birthday. But, she wasn't going to complain anymore since he was trying to do something for her.

"I feel so out of place here. Please tell me what the fuck am I doing here." She sighed, taking a seat on the couch opposite his desk and plopped her foot up on the arm rest of the chair adjacent to hers as her eyes continued to survey the empty office walls.

"It's all part of the getting to know you process, Anastasia. I think it important before two people start dating."

"Oh, so we're heading down that path. Hmm, I see."

"Don't act like you're surprised. Now, since you're feeling so out of place here, why don't you go snoop around the workplace?"

"You're letting me off my leash?" She joked, and he glared.

"You were never collared." He winked at the pun but still sounded serious. "Now, please, shut up and let me work."

"Mm." She said, picking up a random piece of paper from his desk and started to read. "You're releasing a statement about us?"

"No. Not yet at least."

"Then why do you have it here."

"Just in case."

"If this is what you're going to release, then I'm not dating you." She declared holding the paper.

"Why? What's wrong with that statement?" He sounded alerted.

"I'll write one for you, you keep reading whatever the boring shit you're reading."

He nodded absentmindedly, couldn't really care less about it at the moment, besides entrusting this to an English Lit major girl might've been the better choice anyway.

After writing beneath the printed words in pencil. She put everything back to where she found them and stood up to pace around his spacious office.

The first thought that came to her mind was that he needed some paintings in here. She would prefer graffitis but it surely wouldn't fit the style nor the purpose of the place.

"Do you mind if I look around?" She asked tentatively, not wanting to interrupt him.

"Go ahead, baby. You can ask one of the girls to give you a tour."

"You mean one of the many blondes that you have around here?"

"Sure," he shrugged his shoulders, "but the two at the desk outside of my office are my assistants."

"Cool." She said before closing the door behind her. "Take your time." She added before closing it fully.

She looked around the floor, everyone was in formal dress code, moving around purposefully and busy with their work.

"Andrea, right? Really sorry to interrupt, I'm Ana." Placing her elbows on the receptionist desk her sleeves only revealing her fingertips. She leaned against it and looked at the woman sitting behind it with a bluetooth headphone on her head and a microphone at her mouth. A stack of paper was in her hands and she was reading over them while speaking into the phone. Picking up a pen, she jolted down something on a notepad and then went back to reading.

"Hi Ana, what can I help you with?" She stopped and looked up to see it was the girl that her boss brought in, so she halted everything in her hand so she could give the girl her full attention.

 _Better not disappoint Grey's girl,_ she thought.

Then the intercom sounded. Andrea held up a finger indicating for Anastasia to wait for one second as she listened to the speaker from the other side.

"Yes, Mr Grey." Andrea replied.

"What does he want?" She asked knowing it was about her because Andrea glanced at her when she listened to the instructions from Christian.

"He wanted me to take you on a tour." Andrea replied professionally.

"But you're swamped with work," Anastasia pointed out sympathetically.

"I'm sure Olivia can help me cover the desk," she replied, "it's really no trouble at all."

Then the intercom rang again, this time, Anastasia reached forward to pick up the receiver and heard Christian barking orders down the phone.

"Shut up and go back to your work, Grey." She said into the intercom when he hurried Andrea to take her around.

There was a pause but there wasn't the click, so she knew Christian was just shocked to hear her through the intercom.

"Can I speak to my assistant, please?" He asked irritatedly but adding that word as a second thought knowing he'd get chewed if he didn't.

She knew she was walking on a thin line, but she was still holding the receiver.

"Christian, stop adding unimportant things, like giving me a tour, to her plate. Let the poor girl work." She answered in a placated tone, promising him that she would ask if needed.

Putting the receiver down, she turned back to two wide-eyed assistants, "please, don't let me distract you." She stared back at them, knowing she might look like a bitch by putting on a show and telling people to not bother her at the same time, but she really wasn't trying to add anymore to their already overflowing plate of work.

"Ana, really, let me show you around." Andrea was still feeling bad about not carrying out her boss's order, especially to a girl in his jacket.

"Under one circumstance," Anastasia said sternly. She looked down at the document that Andrea was going over earlier. "You're only proofreading for mistakes or typos, right? There're no technical stuff about business or content that requires anymore knowledge than knowing how to edit, correct?" She asked, giving Andrea a pointed look, daring her to answer untruthfully.

"Yes." She replied.

"Good," Anastasia smiled, "then you'll let me go through part of those when I wait for Christian." Andrea looked like she wanted to argue but Anastasia continued to speak. "I'm an English major, so trust me with editing." She grinned, "I only want to compensate for your loss time when you're showing me around." She added the explanation only wanting to ease the blonde hair woman. "Please, deal?" Anastasia stuck out her hand for her to shake and Andrea looked at it for a moment before shaking it firmly.

"Follow me, please." Andrea walked around the desk and started to walk down the hallway. "This is the COO's office." She said, gesturing to the room. "Do you want to meet her?"

"I don't want to interrupt anyone's workday." Anastasia said politely.

"Don't worry, she's going to have a field day because Mr Grey brought in a girl."

"Oh," was all Anastasia said before she nodded to Andrea, leading her to the door. Andrea knocked on it before they heard a sound of the door unlocking.

"Ms Bailey." Andrea greeted an African-American woman seated behind a computer. She looked up to greet her back only to let the word hang at her mouth when she saw who was next to the blonde.

"Oh, Andrea, are you trying to make me have second thought about my marriage with Gwen?" She joked, her voice sounded a little raspy, and Anastasia knew it was because she smoked. Inwardly, she patted herself on the back for opting for vapor instead of cigarette.

Closing the door behind her, Andrea seemed to loosen up a little. "Nah, she's the boss's girl."

Anastasia couldn't help but let out a laugh at the expression on Ros's face. All this time, she hadn't gotten the chance to say a single word but witness the exchange between the two women.

"He went all out didn't he." Ros's face was priceless by the look of Andrea's face. Standing up and walking around the desk, she took another look at Anastasia.

"Are you checking me out now?" Anastasia smirked when her eyes lingered a little longer on her two exposed legs.

"Are you going for the Kendall Jenner look, model girl?" Ros teased, her smirk matching Anastasia's.

"Look at my skin tone and try that again, lady." Anastasia sassed back, making both Andrea and Ros laugh at her remark.

"Shit, how did Grey take this little firecracker." Ros said through her laughs.

"He's getting used to it." Anastasia shrugged. "But, to answer your question, I prefer the character that Jessica Alba played in one of her movies."

"Which one?" Andrea asked sounding curious all of a sudden.

"I'm not sure you know, it's not that popular." Anastasia hesitated.

"Trust me, I know all her movies." Andrea replied not missing a beat. "I'm a huge fan of hers." She elaborated with a blush.

"Got a girl crush on her?" Ros teased, Andrea's cheek flushed even more. "Hey, where're you from? You don't sound like you're from Washington." Ros turned back to Anastasia who was wiggling her eyebrows at Andrea.

"No, I'm not from Washington. I was born in Montesano but I grew up mostly in Southern California."

"Ah, a beach girl."

"Yep. I was in LA for a short period of time and then we moved to the south."

"What are you doing here in Seattle then?"

"My family moved back to Montesano when I was in high school, and after graduating from UCLA a few months ago, I came back for the summer. My best friend lives in Seattle, so I crashed at her place after visiting my parents. I'm currently studying in UCB for my masters, it's my last weekend up here."

Both women looked impressed at her accomplishments but her phone rang before either of them could get a word out.

"Sorry, it's your boss." Anastasia excused herself to take the call in the room, fully aware of the two eavesdropping her one-sided conversation with their boss.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"We're in Ros's office."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Andrea's showing me around and Ros saw us, so she starts to hit on me."

"She's hitting on you?"

"What, afraid of some competition?" She teased, when he didn't reply, she said, "are you done?"

"No," he sighed, "I need a few more minutes. I promise not to take up the whole hour."

"Okay, but just remember you still owe me something."

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Hey, how about I take pity on you so you don't have to wallow in your misery and procrastinate."

"I'm not procrastinating, and I'm not miserable!" He protested

"Whatever you say, but I'll answer that question after you show me the videos. Better?"

She smiled at his response and hung up the phone. Looking at the time before locking her screen, she stared back at the two women in silence.

"Am I missing something?" She asked, voicing her confusion.

"No," they both shook their head and answered in unison.

"Sure…" Anastasia dragged out the syllable, narrowing her eyes at them suspiciously. "We should go, Andrea." She turned to the blonde woman.

"We should go out some time together." Ros suggested, pointing at the three of them.

"Uh sure…" Anastasia wasn't sure what to say to that, so she thought maybe Ros was only suggesting it out of courtesy.

They waved at each other and left the room just as Christian showed up in front of them.

"Chill, tiger. I was joking." She leaned into his embrace so she wouldn't touch him with her hands, knowing he was afraid of that kind of contact. "Are you all done? If not, I'm going to hangout with Andrea until you're done." She asked him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"You look so sexy and hot right now, baby." He whispered in her ears as he turned them around to guide her back to his office.

"I know, Ros said the same."

"Did she, now." He growled.

"Relax, I'm not the only one that flirts when I'm unattached." She glared at him.

He tensed but wisely kept his mouth shut. "Does that mean you'll stop flirting when the twenty-four hour is over?"

"You're getting ahead of yourself now, Grey. Who said that I'm going to say yes to more with you." She goaded.

"Who wouldn't?"

"Don't gloat, Christian Grey. You and your huge ego should remain in the boardroom. Now go finish up so we can leave." She said, pushing him back into his office and headed to Andrea's desk. "Okay, which one do you want me to go over?"

Andrea turned around to look at the girl, still in the oversized jacket, the denim shorts and the leather boots that showed off her long tanned legs. She looked like a popular girl in high school wearing her equally popular boyfriend's jacket walking around the school because they were sweethearts.

"I thought you didn't mean that." She swallowed, peering in the direction of her boss's office.

"A deal's a deal, Andrea, I'm sure your boss values that, too." Anastasia gave her a pointed look, daring her to argue back. Extending a hand she waited for Andrea to hand her a document. "Oh, and please don't give me anything confidential, I don't want you to get in trouble even though I'm sure I won't understand the meaning behind those words even if it is something confidential." She added when Andrea handed her a stapled booklet. Grabbing a pencil from her desk, she went behind her desk and started to read through the page.

…

Anastasia was on her second document when Christian walked out of the office, spotting her just in time before he could ask Andrea.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, walking around the receptionist desk to her side.

"Helping Andrea out of her swamp." She looked up from her position on the chair as if it was obvious.

"Why?"

"Because she gave me a tour, and I wanted to do something to make up the time she used to take me on that tour."

"I'm done, we can go now." He told her, biting back the comment about her doing Andrea's work.

"Let me finish this one." She said, turning back to the page in front of her. "Five minutes max." She added, looking up at him with pouting lips.

Staring at her, he sighed, unable to resist the way she was looking at him.

"Don't look at me like that," he requested softly, leaning down to place a kiss on her pouty lips. "Finish it in my office then." He said, pulling her up.

"Don't distract me." She warned, he nodded and pulled her into his office.

True to her words, it only took her five minutes to finish the ones in her hand. They walked out, she handed the document back to Andrea and bid her farewell, also thanking her for introducing her to Ros. Andrea laughed when Anastasia winked at her.

"Now, I'm curious." Christian said as they stepped into the elevator, "what did you girls talked about?"

"Nothing you can't find out from my background check. Ros asked me where I'm from…" and she relayed the conversation to him as the elevator descended. "Are you going to show me the videos when we get back?" She asked after getting into the passenger side of the car.

"Yes," he replied with a sigh but looked much better than the first time she brought up that idea, he had accepted the fact that it was something he couldn't get away with. "Are you going to tell me just how many rules you've broken?"

"I took pity on you, Grey." She chuckled to herself, "but, yeah, I'll tell you. Do you want to know the number now? I can tell you what they are in detail after you show me those videos." She offered, never really intended to put Christian in a difficult spot, she only wanted to get to know him better and have a little fun with him to enjoy each other's company.

"Yeah, I guess you can tell me how many times but the details later."

"You're not going to punish me are you?" She joked only half-seriously.

"It's a little late for punishments isn't it, you sneaky little minx."

She was silent all they way back, and he didn't know if it was what he had said or what he had done but he didn't dare to say anything to her since she didn't even look at him once, her eyes were always staring out the window.

"Strictly speaking," her voice startled him as he drove them into the garage of Escala. It took him a while to understood what she was referring to, she continued without even a glance at him, she still looked like she was recalling the last three months. "Eight."

"What?"

"I broke the rules eight times strictly speaking."

"And loosely speaking?" He asked, he didn't even know if he should be angry or not.

"Eh… that's probably going to be double digits…"

"Oh, Ana, what am I going to do with you?" He stared at her when she gave him the sheepish look that she would give whenever she got caught redhanded. "You're going to tell me about them after I show you the videos." He dictated.

"Yes, Sir." She giggled at that response when his eyes darkened.

"Behave," he commanded.

"Stop ordering me around then."

"You find me bossy?"

"Very." She said stubbornly, sticking out her tongue at him before pulling him into his office. "Come on, show me."

"Who's the bossy one now?"

She said nothing while watching him get to work. Pulling out his computer and taking out the hard drive that was in his safe where it stored all the insurance photos for his submissives.

"Just to be clear, Christian," she said looking deep in thought.

"Hmm." He hummed in response as he continued to set up.

"The rules said to not be in contact with the Grey family and staff includes your security details right?"

"Yes, what are you implying?"

"Oh don't worry, I didn't cheat if that's what you're so worried about."

"I'm not worried about you cheating, baby." He placed the computer in the middle of the desk and took a seat on the plush office chair, then tugged at her waist and pulled her into his lap.

"They didn't disclose anything that I don't already know, if that's what you're worried about." She said trying to reassure him because she wasn't going to tell him about the nature of her relationship with his staff and family members when she promised she would tell him after he showed her the videos.

"Now I'm really curious just how many rules have you broken behind my back." He said into her neck, intaking a breath to ease his nerves. "Just to be honest and open, like you've asked me of," he said slowly over her shoulder, his hands moving on the trackpad to locate the files that he was looking for in the hard drive that was connected. "I'm really uncomfortable with this."

"I know, I can feel it, Christian. But, just remember that I won't judge, I'm really just curious and want to know. It won't make me change my mind about you."

"Have you already thought about what you're going to do with me after the twenty-four hour ends?"

She bit her lip and nodded every so slightly.

"Yeah."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	4. THIRD HOUR

_**THIRD HOUR**_

Christian set up the videos and pulled her closer to him in his lap, her lips dangerously close to the sensitive spot just a little bit below her ear on her neck. She could feel him breathing into her, and with his tensed body gesture, he felt stiff, she knew he was nervous.

"Okay, here we go." He sighed, clicking into a video that she hadn't had the chance to read the name of the file.

The girl looked just like her appearance wise, but a closer look could make her see just how different she was with them. Her eyes were brown and she was shorter than Anastasia, when she moved in front of the camera, she didn't look at all confident.

But, Anastasia didn't comment. For one, she didn't know what she looked like on camera, plus, she really wasn't holding high expectations out of a potential relationship with Christian.

As she listened to the girl attempting to mimic Ariana Grande, she understood immediately how the girl was feeling.

The song was vulgar and straightforward. The girl thought she was going to settle or at least start something with Grey, thinking she could make him change his mind about not wanting a relationship, only to be rejected in the end.

"I terminated this contract," he explained when Anastasia visibly cringed at her bad imitation of Ariana's voice.

"Because she fell for you?"

"That too, but mainly because she was my second submissive and she thought she could undermine me since I was new to the lifestyle."

"Undermine you, how?"

"I took care of my contracted subs," she nodded for him to continue, turning away from the screen, "and some of them fell for the after care that I administered. They thought they could see me as a caring person from under my Dominant façade, so they were trying to bring it out of me."

"They were acting like girlfriends?"

"They acted like I was abusing them emotionally and being a bad boyfriend, and they thought I was just denying the fact that I had feelings for them. I told them in the beginning that I wouldn't be emotionally attached to them in any form, but they all took it as if I was joking and I would change in the end."

"All of them?" Anastasia actually found it hard to comprehend. She knew he was easy to love, with his good looks and his caring nature that he wouldn't admit to anyone. What she couldn't understand was why would all of them fall for him.

"No, not all, but the majority. For instance," he lifted his head up from her shoulder and gazed at her with a smirk on his face. "You, my dear Anastasia, didn't expect me to change."

"Well, I did tell you that I fell for you. At least in my song and not directly."

"Yes…"

"And I also told you, in not so many words, that I believe you love me and that you're different."

"That's also true."

"So, what's different?"

"What's different is I really do have feelings for you, and I really did grow emotionally attached to you whether I liked it or not. I want more with you."

"Is it wrong for me to pity those girls that fell for you but you never reciprocated the feelings to?"

"I wouldn't exactly be happy about that but I can't stop you."

"Am I the only one that confessed my feelings for you in a rather indirect way?"

"Actually, yes. There was only one other girl who was different." He nodded. "We became friends, but per the restrictions of the contract, we didn't maintain contact after the arrangement ended. She wasn't looking for a relationship, just like me, she was only looking for sex."

"Did she give you a song?"

"No, she ended our contract when she said she was going to move out of the country and start over, because she was a mess emotionally in this country and coming to me was an escape."

"Okay, no offense," Anastasia said, turning back to the screen that was still playing. "But, can we please stop watching this one. I think I can do better than her. Not to be rude or anything, but honestly, has that girl never sworn before, it sounded so unnatural coming from her."

"And you're a natural, Miss Steele?" He teased, pulling her head closer to his mouth and planting a loud kiss on her temple, feeing very affectionate to her all of a sudden.

"Oh, please, you know I swear like a sailor." She nearly rolled her eyes but caught herself before it was too late.

"I know you want to roll your eyes."

"But I didn't."

"I know, but I believe cussing is also being rude isn't it."

"Drop your goody-two-shoe act, Christian Grey. Trust me, I may have more vocabulary in swear words than you do and more creative, you use it way more than I do."

"Hmm… I don't know, I've never seen you outside of your submissive role. We'll have to see." Deep down, he knew that she was right, but he just felt like being playful.

His hand went to the trackpad to close the current window and opened a new one.

"This one might be better, but I don't remember."

"Was she your favorite?"

"You're my favorite." He countered not missing a beat, smiling adoringly at her, she beamed at him but clarified the question.

"No, I mean your favorite submissive. You told me yourself that I make a terrible submissive, and I couldn't agree more."

"You're my favorite girl." He settled, "but, no, she's not my favorite submissive either. My favorite was the one who left the DVD for me." Anastasia looked at him with an unreadable expression, "that all changed when you came along, baby. You're my favorite, submissive or not."

Just when he was about to press play, a soft knock on the door to his study stopped him. They both looked up to see his housekeeper at the other end.

"Yes, Gail?" He nodded at his housekeeper.

"What would you like for dinner, Mr Grey?" The woman asked in the professional yet polite manner.

"Actually, Gail," Christian tensed beneath her but let her finished her sentence, the blonde woman visibly paled at Anastasia's address but the brunette in his lap seemed like the only one unaware of her slip up. "Is it okay if Christian and I do the cooking tonight?" She asked.

"Mr Grey?" Gail looked really unsure at his boss, while Christian was too busy gaping at the girl in his lap.

"I am?" He asked her incredulously.

"If you want to, if not, I don't mind cooking myself. I just thought it'd be fun to let you do something instead of sit there to watch me do everything." She cocked her head innocently, batting her eyelashes at the man waiting for his response.

"Take the night off, Gail." Was all he said before the staff retreated out of the door, his eyes never left hers when he dismissed the housekeeper, now that the door was closed behind her, his eyes narrowed. "What do you have to say for yourself? Something to tell me?"

"You'll know, I'll tell you as part of the deal. Remember?"

"Are we seriously cooking together tonight?"

"Yes," she said confidently, pushing his hand off the keyboard and pressed play, "after this video. I hope it's good."

"I feel like you're watching YouTube videos on my laptop right now."

"You sound like you hate those things."

"I've never watched them nor enjoy them."

"Jesus, Christian, it's time for you to blend in to your generation. Don't worry, I'll help you with that." She said, sounding confident but her eyes never left the screen. After a while, she realized that it wasn't the original version of the song either, so she lost interest just as fast as she gained interest. "Hey, by the way," she said, pausing the video seconds after the girl begun to sing, it wasn't because she detest off-key singing, she had gotten an earful from Kate in the shower already, it was only because she thought those videos would be interesting but never envisioned them to be stoically singing. "Did any of them dance or do something to the original song and not sing by themselves?"

"No, you're the first. Actually, come to think of it, you don't exactly qualify either, since you recorded that yourself." He said, adding on second thought. "You're the only one who danced to it, but then again, who knows if you used autotune." He grinned at her offended glare.

"Should I be glad that you didn't assume that I used autotune?"

"Should you? I'm sure I'm not that big of an asshole." Cue glare from Anastasia, "okay, fine, maybe I am." This time ignoring the glare, he steered the conversation away from that meaningless topic and wondered out loud. "Why are you suddenly losing interest in the videos? You were so hellbent on watching them when I lost that table of pool why the sudden change of heart?"

"I really don't want to sound cocky and arrogant but I really don't find it interesting. To be frank, I think with Taylor's usual stance around you, he'd make the perfect candidate for your next video."

"There won't be a next one, because you're here." He grinned cheekily, planting a loud sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Now, dinner."

"Wait," she stopped him, "can you find the original songs that they sang and play it when we're in the kitchen?"

"You're still not giving up aren't you."

"I never do." She held up her chin and stood up from his lap and sauntered off to the kitchen. "But, honestly, they'd do so much better if they're a little more relaxed and open." With that, she disappeared leaving a whiff of her shampoo scent at the door and around the corner.

Watching her sway her little ass out of his office still in his jacket, he smiled to himself and shook his head and started to create the playlist that she requested.

…

"What do you want to make?" She asked, her head still in the fridge digging through the ingredients that he didn't even know he had. When he didn't say anything because he was busy fuming at the email he just received from Ros, he quickly replied telling her that he'd call her at night, she continued to speak. "I have two in mind." Closing the fridge she turned around just in time to see him walking to the bluetooth stand where his iPod was at when she performed.

"Their songs are all in here I remember." He answered to her questioning stare as he made a work of the iPod still connected to the bluetooth speakers.

"Okay," she shrugged because she didn't exactly care what he was doing, she really just needed him to decide what they would eat. "Anyways, I was thinking of having either…"

Her speech was cut off when she heard the familiar keyboard tune flooding the room. Her stare turned into a glare as she glowered at him. "What the fuck are you…?" She slowly walked around the table and took one step at a time toward him.

The goofy grin didn't falter at her change in stance, it only widened and brightened. He looked almost frightened and threatened at her approach but the goofiness on his face told her otherwise. She knew she was just being playful and he knew that too, but she really was annoyed when he played the song she recorded, because she felt embarrassed.

"Hey come on, don't be like that. I loved your song." He teased which in turn made her narrow her eyes to a slit. She took another step forward after that comment, and that made him take a step back and his back was now against the wall next to the counter.

"I like you in that position." She smirked smugly before walking closer to her prey. She stopped until she was close enough in his personal space, she licked her lips. "Now, pretty boy," her voice suddenly turned husky and her eyes turned sultry.

In her leather booties, she was only a little shorter than him. When she felt his hand snaking around her waist under her jacket with one hand slipping beneath her tank top, she pressed her palms on either sides of his head and caged him.

"I thought you're trying to woo me and not making me run." She said in a low voice, making sure he could feel her breath on his lips as she spoke.

"I am," his pupils dilated and his eyes darkened, she could hear it in his voice that he was very turned on by her seduction. She felt herself being tugged forward as his arms tightened around her. She could feel the bulge pressed against her.

"And now you're building a tent down there." She licked her lips again, this time leaving her bottom lip in between her teeth, she was now able to rest her elbows on his shoulder and lean her forearms on the wall next to his head.

"I can't help it. With this song and the woman singing that confession in my arms flushed against me, how can I possibly resist?" He smirked but in his mind he was desperately in need of her lips, he needed to touch it and to feel it move against his own.

"And what makes you think that this woman is willing to listen to herself sing without cringing?"

"I can distract her." He murmured, slowly pulling her forehead closer to his until they touch. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her scent, he knew if he just lowered his head a tiny bit, his lips would touch hers.

"How?" She whispered, their lips only inches apart but with the fingers threaded in her hair at the moment made her lose all the ability to think straight.

"Like this," he breathed out, lowering his head until he felt their lips slowly touching.

Just when he started to move against her lips, not even daring to think about asking for permission to slip his tongue into her lips when she parted them. However, when her lips swiped his bottom one and her teeth sank into his lips pulling them slightly just to tease him, he lost all control and slipped his tongue out to battle with hers.

She surprised him once again by pulling away from him, taking his hand in hers and pulling him off the wall and into the center of the kitchen when the music changed. Her hips swayed with the beat, and the next thing he knew, she was singing to him.

 _Sometimes at night when I turn off the lights  
I be thinking about you  
Baby, baby, baby, yeah  
Tossing in my bed all these thoughts in my head  
Got me losing my breath now  
Baby, baby, baby, yeah_

Letting go of the hand she was holding on to and started to dance to the music, occasionally inching a step closer to him. When she was right in front of him, she looked at him in the eye with that mischievous glint that he had grew to love so much when she thought he didn't notice.

 _Tell me what would you do  
If you only knew  
How I feel about you  
About you_

Taking his hand again, she wrapped them around her waist and twisted herself further into him before leading him to dip her and pull her back up before he even realized what was happening.

 _I wanna your be first, your last, your everything  
I wanna be in your arms and definitely  
I wanna be someone you keep coming back to see  
I wanna be one  
I wanna be who  
Wanna be your baby_

She sang as she danced away from him but not before poking him on the nose and giving him a quick kiss on the jaw and at the corner of his lips on the beat. Shaking her head to stop him from approaching her. Standing from afar, he looked at her grind on to the edge of the table before grabbing a chair to show off her curves when she kept singing.

Licking her lips when there was a slight pause in the song, she would send him winks from the place she was in the kitchen, and he would be rooted to his spot.

When she reached the part where Zara's voice was too high for her to reach, she rolled against the wall opposite of him and on to the fridge, making sure to take full advantage of her short denim, the oversized jacket and her leather booties.

She flipped onto the kitchen table on her back, before putting her hands next to her head and with a push, she was on her feet after a swift kip-up. Right on beat, she did a backflip, landing on the floor next to the kitchen table in just in time to sing the last chorus. He almost fainted at that move and could only be thankful for a high ceiling.

 _I wanna your be first, your last, your everything  
I wanna be in your arms and definitely  
I wanna be someone you keep coming back to see  
I wanna be one  
I wanna be who  
I wanna be your baby  
I wanna be your baby  
Baby, baby, baby  
Oh yeah, oh yeah  
Baby, baby  
Oh yeah_

After the last note of the song, she bowed dramatically and a side of her sleeve sliding off her shoulder, revealing the loose black tank top and part of her sports bra. He let out a breath of relief.

"What brought that on, baby?"

"I just love this song." She was slightly out of breath. "Sorry about your table by the way." She said, making a futile effort to wipe it as if to clean up her shoe prints.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He breathed out, quickly gathering her into his arms and pinning her against the table. "I'm just thankful that the ceiling was high enough."

She giggled at his comment.

"No, I'm serious, Ana. You could've hurt yourself, jumping down from this height with a backflip."

"I'm well aware of the risks, that's why I jumped up. I can do a backflip on flat surfaces, so jumping down from a table shouldn't be all that hard."

The next song started to play in the background but none of them were paying attention to it. Christian was still trying to get over what could potentially happen but she had already moved on as if nothing had happened.

"So, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," she was back to the stove area already. "Chicken Alfredo or Mac 'n' Cheese?"

"Is Chicken Alfredo your favorite?"

She nodded, "and I know you love Mac and Cheese."

That brought a smile on his face, "whatever you want." He told her before rounding the corner to meet her next to the stove. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get the macaroni out." She said as she gathered the other ingredients, moving skillfully in this kitchen as if it was hers.

"It's here." He pointed to the bag on the counter that she had took out earlier.

"I know, I mean the content in the bag." She stressed as if he was stupid. "Read the directions on the back, I'm sure you know how to read and carefully."

"I don't take instructions from anyone, let alone anything, you should know that by now." He teased when he realized that she was making him following instructions on the back of the back.

"Well, please, do what you want to the noodles but just know that you're not going to eat my portion if you fucked up yours. It's your dinner, no one's going to save your ass in my presence. Come on, Grey." She sounded serious but they both knew she was going to be the one who would do the cooking ultimately. "Fine, let me read it to you. Now, listen to me." She snatched the bag from him. "Go get a bowl to fill up water. Please don't tell me you don't know where your bowls are located in your kitchen." She jested.

"I actually think I have an idea."

"Aw, smart." She sassed when he took out the bowl from the top shelf, earning herself a glare but she ignored. "Fill it up with water, from the tab." She added.

"I'm not stupid you know."

"Oh I know, but since you can't seem to understand simple instructions, I'm going to be specific."

"Why thank you," he said from the sink dryly, rolling his eyes. She saw that but decided to not comment about it.

 _The bed's getting cold and you're not here  
The future that we hold is so unclear  
But I'm not alive until you call  
And I'll bet the odds against it all_

She sang alone with the song on the stereo, waiting for him to fill up the pot with enough water and turning on the stove for him as well as the oven to preheat.

"How come you know all these songs?" He asked, turning around smirking at her at the lyrics that she just sang absentmindedly.

She shoved the plastic wrapper of the macaroni on his arm and her other hand gripped the other bicep, continue to sing the song in his face with a face full of malice completely ignoring his question.

 _Save your advice 'cause I won't hear  
You might be right but I don't care  
There's a million reasons why I should give you up  
But the heart wants what it wants  
The heart wants what it wants_

He shook his head and chuckled lightly at her behavior but silently in awe of her singing skills and her ability to make perfect impressions of the original singers.

"I listen to a very wide range and I don't know, I kind of don't forget the lyrics once I heard the song and I remember most of the songs I heard." She shrugged, wriggling her body in the kitchen along with the tune and occasionally joining in to sing the chorus, since that was all she could remember for this song, and hummed the rest. He looked almost lost and out of place even in his own kitchen.

Looking up at the cameras at the corner, he could imagine just how much of a show Gail and Taylor must be enjoying right now. They must be laughing at him but he couldn't bring himself to get irritated by that thought.

The water quickly boiled and she told him to pour the macaronis into the pot. A couple minutes later another song started and she told him to turn off the stove after the current song finished.

"This song has pretty funny lyrics. Just listen." She commented, still swaying to the music slightly, thoroughly enjoying herself.

 _'Cause I can't love nobody like I love myself  
Like I love myself  
Only you, eh  
No one's ever touched me like I touch myself  
No, nobody else  
Only you, only you  
Only you_

Her voice had totally changed to Zara's, it was in complete sync with the original song. He wondered if they could hear it in the servants quarter since she had turned the volume so loud and singing just as loud.

When the song finished, she motioned for him to take a macaroni out to taste it and see if it was cooked. He made a face at her but obliged. She laughed at him for almost spitting it out because of the heat.

"Idiot, you just took it out of the pot." Her laugh turned into giggles and it died in her throat when he turned around to glare at her, hard.

"You know better than to laugh at my expense, Miss Steele." He turned off the stove and immediately caged her against the counter, leaning into her and making sure his lips brushed over her earlobe just to tease her. Before he pulled away, he bit down on it, harder than he usually would, making her yelp in surprise.

"Can I trust you with a simple job, Mr Grey?" She asked, pulling out a saucepan and handing him a drain, he took it looking at it unable to recognize the thing.

"It really depends," he deadpanned.

"You don't exactly have a choice anyway." She shrugged, pushing him to the pot containing the macaronis, "pour the noodles through this thing and put the dry noodles back into the pot." He took the pot and did what he was told while she busied herself with the sauce.

Only then did she realize that it was Kelly Clarkson singing, "someone gave you this song?" She asked as if unable to believe that someone would choose this song. "I wonder how they did with this one, it's a little hard without being loud."

"I'm sure you'll do fine if I ask you to do it."

"Perhaps," she shrugged, still focused on the music.

No one spoke until the next song came up and Christian surprised her by singing along with Kanye West.

 _In the night, I hear 'em talk  
The coldest story ever told  
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless  
How could you be so heartless?  
Oh, how could you be so heartless?_

She was thankful that she had finished the sauce because she was sure she nearly burnt herself when she heard his voice over the original voice of the singer. Smirking at her when she turned to gape at him, he winked. Not wanting to be caught drooling at him acting his age, she sang the next part.

 _How could you be so, cold as the winter wind when it breeze, yo  
Just remember that you talkin' to me though  
You know need to watch the way you talkin' to me, yo  
I mean after all the things that we've been through  
I mean after all the things we got into  
Hey yo, I know of some things that you ain't told me  
Hey yo, I did some things but that's the old me  
And now you wanna get me back and you goin' show me  
So you walk around like you don't know me  
You got a new friend, well I got homies  
But in the end it's still so lonely_

It was funny to see Anastasia waving a spatula in her hand with a few drops of sauce still on the spoon rapping to him as if they were at a sing-off.

Just as expected, he took over the singing part.

They were too absorbed in their own entertainment that they didn't even hear the note of the elevator announcing its arrival. They didn't feel another presence until a third voice came in.

 _Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk  
Baby let's just knock it off  
They don't know what we been through  
They don't know 'bout me and you  
So I got something new to see  
And you just goin' keep hatin' me  
And we just goin' be enemies_

Christian stopped in his track to stare at his brother who walked in unannounced, the guy with dirty blonde hair stared back with the same widened eyes after singing that part as Anastasia took over the rest. Walking up to him to punching him in the gut as a greeting and a fist bump as a formal greeting before turning around to continue her cooking.

"What are you doing here, Elliot?" He asked once the music was over, completely disregarding the next song that started to play.

"You didn't pick up your phone, which was very unlike you and so I called Taylor to see if anything happened to you, and he told me to stop by and see what's happening. So, I did. He buzzed me up. I don't have the new code, just in case you're wondering." He added.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed that little show." Christian cringed when he felt the bubble bursting.

"Bro, I didn't know you sing!" He exclaimed, then his eyes went back to Anastasia who just put the Mac & Cheese into the oven. "Wait, what are you doing here?" He pointed his index finger at the girl who just turned around. When he saw her looking at him, he beckoned her to come to him with his index finger, she narrowed her eyes at him and flipped him the bird before turning back to put the used tools to the sink.

"Fuck you, Steele." Elliot grumbled when he got flipped. Christian stood at the side, having just witnessed the exchange he laughed. Elliot looked shocked at his little brother's carefree behavior but even if he was laughing at his expense it was good to look at him enjoying himself.

"Try that again?" She stalked up to him with her arms crossed, an eyebrow lifted challenging him.

"You owe me a round of Call of Duty anyway." He shrugged.

"You just want to get your ass beaten, Elliot." Anastasia laughed, "we can have that battle using Christian's Wii." She suggested, "surely you've played on his device before right, you know just how amazing it feels to play with that gigantic screen."

"Fuck yeah we should! Bro, you should be there to watch."

"Yeah, yeah, he should." Anastasia said, before looking at Christian and then picked up the phone on the table to check the time. "Is there a reason you're here?" She asked the older Grey.

"No, just want to check up on my lil bro." He said getting the message that she wanted to kick him out.

"Cool, and you've done that now." She looked at him, waiting for him to leave.

"Just say it, Anastasia. Trust me, he won't be offended." Christian quipped at the back.

"Oh sure," Anastasia grinned, "then I'm kicking you out." She looked back at Elliot who rolled his eyes but was happy that at least his brother looked happy with the girl.

"You owe me an explanation, too, Steele." Elliot said pointedly to the girl who rolled her eyes at him and turned away as he walked out the kitchen himself.

"She doesn't owe you shit, asshat." Christian shouted behind him from the entrance of the kitchen. "You've got some explaining to do to me, Miss Steele." He turned back and gave her a pointed look.

"Good, now that he's gone, got get your laptop." She told Christian as she checked the oven.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"What do you need it for?"

"Why don't you recommend a few videos for us to watch?" She smirked smugly, knowing it was the last thing he wanted. "Come on, it's just for fun. I'll let you record me singing later. I'll do a cover for all eleven." She offered as a compensation.

"Deal."

* * *

 **In order of appearance :**

 **1. _thank u, next_ — Ariana Grande**

 **2. _I Know You_ — Skylar Grey**

 **3. _Say Something_ — A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera**

 **4. _Wanna Be Your Baby_ — Zara Larsson**

 **5. _Happier_ — Ed Sheeran**

 **6. _The Heart Wants What It Wants_ — Selena Gomez**

 **7. _Only You_ — Zara Larsson**

 **8. _Since U Been Gone_ — Kelly Clarkson**

 **9. _Heartless_ — Kanye West**

 **10. _One Call Away_ — Charlie Puth (mentioned in the next chapter)**

 **11. _Set Fire To The Rain_ — Adele**

 **12. _One In A Million_ — Hilary Duff (next chapter)**

 **Review, favorite and follow?**

 **X**


	5. FOURTH HOUR

_**FOURTH HOUR**_

"What do you want to drink?" He asked, opening the fridge to take out the salad that Anastasia asked him to take out when they were still waiting for another ten minutes until the noodles could be brought out from the oven. Elliot had been kicked out a few minutes ago, and he had retrieved his laptop with the hard drive attached.

"I saw a bottle of Ice Wine in there, can we have that, please?" She asked sweetly, looking up at his expression.

"That's so sweet."

"Just like me." She giggled at her own joke but gave him a serious look telling him that she really wanted to drink that. "Don't worry, if you're worried about getting fat, we can do something about it afterwards."

He still grimaced but took out the wine she asked for.

"I have way better wine than this cheap sickeningly sweet stuff." He lamented while popping it open with the cork screwer and pouring it into the awaiting glasses.

"Well, what can you say, I'm cheap." She commented absentmindedly.

"I didn't mean it like that, Anastasia." He set down the tall, thin transparent bottle down on the table and sat down next to her as she picked up her glass to take a sip. "Don't ever call yourself cheap." He sighed almost pleadingly.

"Okay," she agreed nonchalantly, really not seeing an issue here. "I like this," she nodded in approval of the beverage in her hand.

"I can take you wine tasting and we can buy the ones you liked." He offered, keeping his opinion about the wine to himself.

"What makes you think I will stick around." She taunted him, but then smiled brushing off her earlier comment with an earnest answer. "I'd love to." Then proceeded to plant a kiss to his lips. That seemed to have placated him because he brought her down into his lap and pointed to the screen, telling her to choose a video.

She looked at the file name realizing that they were saved with the name of the submissive and the title of the song.

"I don't like Charlie Puth," she muttered, skipping the mouse over to the next one. "We've listened to this one already," moving on to the next, she pondered for a bit.

"Choose quick, you only have time to watch one more before the Mac and Cheese burns." He said into her ear. She shivered in his lap as his voice had caught her off guard and made her squirm in her spot.

Finally she decided to choose a song that wasn't that easy to be ruined by bad singing and started to watch. She knew she sounded like a judgmental bitch when she criticized other girls' singing ability and the way she half-demanded Christian to drink that bottle of Ice Wine with her, but she wanted to exploit his offers to the fullest extent. It was already hard for him to show her the videos and she wasn't being really reasonable when she kept pressing on him to show her the rest and she wasn't being considerate when she chose that wine, but she just wanted to act that way after three months of her behavior being restrained by the contract that she was too stubborn to terminate.

In the end, she was being a bitch because she wanted to be, there was no excuse, and she only hoped that she wasn't pushing Christian too far, hence the compensations that she hadn't forgotten about.

"She actually has a pretty good voice," Anastasia praised, voicing her own opinion, "I just don't really understand the choice of the song but she was not bad."

"Yeah, not nearly as good as you." He nibbled at the exposed skin of her shoulder blade, letting his tongue trail along her shoulder.

"They'd do so much better if you haven't scare them to death, ya know?" She teased, tilting her head to give him more access to the side of her neck. "Can you please go get the food from the oven while I finish this one?" Her voice was breathy and she knew she was deeply affected by him, again. She hated herself for always being so responsive to him when she didn't want to react to his touch and his little touches, he knew it and he was taking full advantage of it.

He lifted her off his lap and placed her on to the stool that he was occupying earlier. Putting the oven gloves on, he looked to find the off button for the oven when it 'ding'ed itself. Never would he thought that he'd see this day coming, him in his own kitchen bending over to get a bowl of Mac and Cheese out of the oven when it was freshly cooked; moreover, he contributed to the cooking process, too!

"I like her." She said, closing his laptop and carefully move it to the side so they could sit down at the table to eat, "but, she likes you." She added as an afterthought. "Hmm… this is complicated."

Ignoring her, he sat the noodles down and went to get two plates and utensils for them while she sat at the spot with her chin on her intertwined hands.

"Are you finished with the videos?" She nodded, "are you satisfied now? Did it answer your question after winning that pool game?" She nodded twice more. "Good, can you now answer my question like you promised you will?"

That immediately shifted her into another mood. He noticed the change and if he promised her that he wouldn't react to anything she said, he'd probably wouldn't be keeping that promise long, and knowing her, he knew it would be true.

"Do you want it in chronological order or thematically?"

"How about the latter to make it seem less?" He retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"Good call," she muttered. _Here goes,_ she thought to herself after inhaling and exhaling a long deep breath.

"Here are the people that I befriended which I shouldn't:  
Gail, Jason, Luke, Belinda, and Elliot."

As she listed the names, his eyes turned from narrowed to wide.

"You know all of them?"

"I don't just know all of them, I'm friends with them." She corrected nervously, feeling uneasy for the bigger part of the story. "By the way, I just want to make it clear that I made all the moves, so please don't blame it on them. They really were kind of coerced into befriending me, or to put it mildly I kind of pushed them to make a conversation with me."

"Go on." His face was impassive as he dug into his plate, though appreciating the noodles, he didn't express it. She looked lost for a second so he spoke up, "how did you know Gail?"

"There was once when you were in your study taking a conference call or yelling at someone, I don't know, but your door was left ajar and you were really angry, so angry that I thought I was in your space even if I was in my room." She paused, he looked bemused, unable to recall the time she was referring to. "I snuck out of my room, just wanting to get out of your hair, and also I've always been curious about what's down the other end of the hallway. So, I took the chance and wandered down the other end, and that was how I ended up at the staff's quarter."

She stopped talking and watched him take a sip of the ice wine, then grimaced at the sweet taste before taking another spoonful of noodle. His plate was already half empty where hers looked barely touched.

"Eat while you talk, please."

She nodded, taking a small bite of the food and proceeded to talk again.

"Jason was in the security room at the time so I stumbled upon Gail, she just got back from grocery shopping and was putting away the stuff. I've got nothing to do, so I went in and offered to help her and I didn't take no for an answer."

She stopped and looked at his reaction, he showed none other than telling her to continue.

"We started to talk," she began, "she was very conservative about everything and I'll admit I tried to pry things out of her about you. I ranted to her about your weirdness, and she kept assuring me that you're a good man deep down but I always found it hard to believe." She heard a sharp intake of breath, and she could only knew that she had hit a sore point. "She didn't tell me anything that I don't already know other than the fact that she had been working for you since forever."

A small smile tugged at his lips remembering the first time he met Gail, it was awkward…

"I stayed there longer than necessary and started to help her think of the menu for dinner as she brainstormed one for you. She told me your favorite food is Mac & Cheese, and your favorite dessert is anything chocolate." She chuckled slightly remembering commenting on his dull and simple taste. She thought a sophisticated man like him would be craving for more luxurious foods. "After that, we didn't interact much anymore since we don't see each other very often. I liked her but at the time I was confused as to whether befriending your staff counts as having contact with connected you because they know what we were."

"She calls you Ana?"

"Yes, I insisted it, telling her that you'd never find out about our friendship. Never would I ever think that I'd be the one sitting here confessing all of my crimes."

"They're just misdemeanors."

"Yeah, misdemeanors that are worth a hiding over."

"Anastasia," he sighed.

"I know, I'm exaggerating again, but please, if you want to hear the rest of the crimes I've committed, let me finish before sentencing me. I know I'd probably be serving a lifetime."

That nonchalant comment would later be proven to have more meanings, but they wouldn't recognize the pun at the time…

"That's about Gail. Next, your securities." She kept going, his eyes widened briefly to just how organized she was with her story telling, that told him that she must've broken some serious rules.

He nodded for her to start speaking.

"Wait, actually, let's leave the heavy stuff till a bit later." She decided, unable to meet his eyes.

"Have you done something?" He asked worriedly, but she dismissed him.

"Let me come clean about my drinking first before we get into the heavy stuff. We'll end with my inevitable friendship with your brother." She told him and he nodded, accepting the arrangements. "I lost count of the times where I answered a call from you when I was drunk." She confessed quickly and opened her mouth wanting to continue before he could register what she had said, but he was faster than him.

"You what?!" He shot up from his seat, his fork scattered on to the table, hitting the plate making noises that made her flinch. "Anastasia, tell me I heard you wrong." He said in a soft voice but was towering over her, she visibly curled up on her spot with her head bowed. "Look at me and tell me I didn't just hear that."

She was silent, she couldn't look up because she needed to tell him the truth. If they were ever seeking for a real relationship, he had to know what she had done when they were under contract.

Letting her head shake slowly, she couldn't feel the recklessness and the excitement she was feeling when she was out drinking with her friends when he called. She couldn't remember how it felt when she rushed to the bar downing an entire glass of water just so that she could speak with him without slurring her words.

"You sounded coherent when I spoke with you." He was bemused and she knew he would be.

"I would drink water and rush to the back door to take your call."

"So you lied to me about your whereabouts all those times?"

"No," she said quickly, "no, I never lied to you about where I am but I never said it was a bar. I said told you it was a cafe, and it was true, only I was next door and not in the cafe. The two places were connected. The other place I go to has a basement for parties, and it was some kind office above ground. The names I've given you are always correct and you can always trace my phone to find me in the spot I told you I was at." She explained. "I never lied about my location, I just neglected the small piece of information about the bar nearby." She finished in a small voice.

"Where were you when I called you in the middle of the week and you weren't available. I only did it once with you and you turned me down."

"I was in LA."

"You went all the way back to Los Angeles and you didn't think I should know?" He raised his voice at her and she knew she deserved it. At least it was better than the physical punishments, despite her body liking those punishments, her mind truly didn't.

"I only planned on staying for a day. It was a friend's party and I was invited."

"I don't know what to believe right now, Anastasia."

"Everything I'm telling you now is true. Maybe I've lied in the past but at the time I thought I wasn't lying, I was simply keeping some small details to myself."

"I trusted you, Anastasia, I trusted you to take care of yourself."

"And I did. Look, Christian, I'm here, unharmed and everything I've done with all the drinking and partying, I was never hurt. I am experienced enough to protect and take care of myself. I know what I'm doing at a typical LA party."

"Have you stripped?"

"Excuse me?"

"Have you ever stripped for anyone when you were mine?"

"No! I've never stripped in my entire life. I swear, Christian. I've asked other people to strip but I've never done it myself. There was only twice that I could remember where I've lost pieces of my memories but I can remember everything I did." She defended. "I swear, I've never stripped, let alone for anyone. I will be honest, I was tempted once when I was spiked and people were all catcalling me to strip but I _didn't_."

"I don't know what you're going to tell me next because this is already really bad." He fisted his hair and stared at her guilty expression, that only made him more frustrated. "Fuck! I really want to punish you. Real bad." He said through gritted teeth.

"Do you want me to continue?"

"Are you done about the drinking part?"

"No more about parties, I promise."

"I've never pegged you as a party girl."

"I'm not, I'm just popular without even wanting to be, I guess. People liked me and they invite me to everything. I've went to Golden Globes, Oscars and all sorts of award ceremony when I was a Senior and in Uni. Contrary to public belief, not everyone there is famous. I really don't know what they see in me but I get invitations all the damn time. I swear I don't accept all of them but, I'm going to sound more bitchy than I already am here, there are some that I simply cannot decline because I'd shame the other people if I did." She was desperately wanting him to understand life in LA but she knew he wouldn't because he had been married to GEH since it started. She sighed defeatedly, "I'm sorry, Christian, I really fucking am. Please, believe me that I'm telling you everything right now." She begged.

"Keep talking." Was all he said, and his tone didn't suggested that he wanted her to but she took the meaning of the words.

"I'm sure you remembered the night you caught me drinking at the Mile High," she started and he nodded. He wanted to tell her that it was his club so he would know if she was there or not, but at the same time, he didn't want to tell her just yet. "The guy you saw me with, his name is Sean. He's my best friend, and I called him gay even though he's not."

"Your point?"

"My point being that you've got nothing to be jealous of because he's not my type. You are."

He nodded, still seemingly unsatisfactory despite the small ego boost by that tiny confession.

"I went out drinking with him to celebrate the end of my online career as a self-publishing editor." She continued.

"Is that all your drinking slash party related confession?" He checked, standing up to add more.

She thought for a moment and nodded, biting her lip. "Can't think about anything right now, but I will tell you if there's more. I swear."

"Okay, I believe you." He sighed and went for a second serve. "I liked your sauce."

"It's just cheese."

"I know, but it taste different and I like it." He shrugged and she didn't know how to respond to that.

"Are you ready for the last two part of my confession?"

"It depends on what they're about."

"Security and Elliot."

He was silent for a moment. When he felt her eyes fixed on his crown as he lowered his head to eat, he looked up and said. "Eat," and went back to eat his.

Anastasia looked at her plate, the content was still taking up a quarter of the container yet she couldn't seem to find space in her stomach to store those noodles. She was too nervous.

"I'm too nervous to eat right now. Can I finish those after I tell you everything and know your reaction to them?" She negotiated, "I promise they won't go to waste. You know how much I usually eat with my quick metabolism."

He nodded. "Then please start speaking." She looked like she wanted to argue or ask him if he was sure, so he added, "I'll take my chances."

"They were off duty when I hangout with them."

"Them?"

"Jason and Luke." She clarified for him. "I managed to avoid them at first but ran into them again in a club." She took a deep breath, looking away to the great room where she could see some of Seattle's skyline from the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Where did you first ran into them?" He asked the question she had been dreading and wanted to avoid answering, but now that he did, she had no other choice but to answer it upfront.

"At a gun range." She whispered, averting her eyes from him and stared at her food.

"Anastasia, please, I'm begging you now," he almost pleaded, "tell me that all you've been telling me about you partying, drinking and now shooting is not true. You have no idea what I feel about guns do you?"

"They have mentioned that you're strictly anti-guns and they're not allowed to carry unless there's a dangerous and serious threat."

"So you know," he glared, "then why the fuck are you still there?"

"Technically, Christian, the contract says I'm not allowed to put myself in danger during the week, and I never did. The contract never indicated that we have a TPE relationship, which means I don't have to report to you about my every move and I don't have to tell you about my week unless you asked. In which you never did." She pointed out patiently.

"How does going into a gun range categorized as not putting yourself in danger?" He huffed.

"If you're worried about my ability to handle a gun or an arrow, I can assure you that I've been licensed to carry since 18, and I've been playing with a shotgun ever since I'm tall enough to carry one, as well as archery. I hunt annually, so I'm more than capable of using a handgun or any gun for that matter." She declared confident about that piece of information.

His lips formed a thin line, one that indicated that he was ready to explode any second. She knew she had to be careful of what she was going to say now.

"How often do you go there?" He spat out as if it was an illegal activity.

"Twice a week if I have time but at least once every week."

"What were my securities doing there?"

"They were off duty," she reminded but he simply ignored her reminder and urged her to continue. "They were there to meet your new hire, Belinda Prescott." She answered. "When they were gone, I went to Belinda and talked to her. We fired some bullets together and chatted for a while."

She remembered clearly what that night entailed. She felt a sense of nostalgia when she saw the two walked in, their stance and their posture screamed ex-Marine to her and it was exactly what her father had once been. She knew her father was entirely different than anyone on Grey's team because he was a Delta Force after briefly becoming a Marine. Belinda told her that all she could say was that she was here to meet the two guys for an interview about a job, and Anastasia could put the missing pieces of puzzles in herself.

"Later that night," she continued, "I went clubbing mainly because the manuscript I was reading was a little too close to my heart." She explained, remembering the exact fiction story that she was editing. It started with the tragedy happened to the mother when protecting her child from an unknown force. "I just wanted to clear my head a little and I didn't drink any alcohol." At that moment, she decided to withhold just one more small piece of information about herself because now that she knew more about him she didn't want to upset him any further.

"You're going to tell me whatever that is you're hiding later, right?"

"Yes, but you're not going to like it anymore than guns."

"You smoke?"

"Later, I promise."

"You've been making a lot of promises tonight."

"I'm aware, and I fully intend on keeping them." She informed sincerely. "Jason and Luke saw me in that club as I saw them, so I approached them. I went up and complimented on the guns on their waste band. They were really nice guns and I was genuine when I praised it; I meant what I said." She didn't know why she saw the need to justify herself, so she stopped the moment she realized what she was doing, and cleared her throat. "I said,"

 _"Nice gun you got there. Wish I could afford that kind when I got my license." She said wistfully, extending her hand to hover above the item and silently asking for permission. Luke nodded and pulled out the gun from his pocket and handed it to her._

 _"That's a beautiful baby." She commented, running her fingers along the handle and admired the design. "Can I see yours?" She turned to Jason after returning the gun to Luke. "Damn, you got a killer here." She admired. "Look at mine, old and cheap. I've been eying the two models that you two have since before I was eighteen. I just wish I had more money back then."_

 _"Why didn't you buy them then?" Luke asked. The question shocking both Jason and Anastasia, but for different reasons._

 _"I don't want to indulge in my cravings. Besides, one is sufficient for day-to-day defense." She shrugged, itching to just go to the gun store and get two more so she could have a selection to choose from whenever before she went out._

"We talked for the majority of the night, mainly discussing weapons. They both said that you hated guns so I never brought it up." She concluded. "Now that you've asked, I will tell you that I own a gun and I'm licensed to carry, and I like shooting and I won't give it up. I will still carry but I will stow it when I'm with you. That's the only compromise I will be making, for now." She added just to appease him a little more. He still didn't look well receiving that piece of information, but she was helpless.

"Is that all you've done with my three close protections?"

"No," she sounded thoughtful and fearful at the same time, and that was also how she was feeling at the moment. She needed to contemplate what would go out of her mouth knowing that he was on the edge already. "I practice Krav Maga. An Israeli self-defense method." She explained. "Luke also does that, so we train ourselves together. I spar with Belinda from time to time and I have persuaded both Jason and Luke to accompany me to the shooting range when we're all free." She got the rest out quickly and made sure not to include any more details, she knew he couldn't take much more. "It took a lot of effort from me to persuade them into agreeing, Christian. It really wasn't their problem, it was all mine."

"Damn right it was all your fault!" He shouted as his fist connected with the surface of the table.

She jumped at the sudden outburst but her eyes didn't display fear.

"I'm sorry," she said gently once he settled back down and took a calming breath.

"Please finish your confession." He requested with his eyes closed.

"Okay, about Elliot." She said tentatively, still observing his reaction closely. "Do you want to punish me, Christian?" She knew it was a moot question since all she had done since she started _story-telling_ was to piss him off.

"Yes, I want to. So fucking bad right now, but I can't." He buried his face in his hands and leaned forward. "I know I will lash out and lose control if I did and I will only end up hurting you physically. I know it will make me feel better but it will hurt me just as much when I see the marks that I've left on you."

"Christian…"

"Don't," he snapped and then softened, "don't Christian me, Anastasia." He sighed, "tell me about Elliot."

She nodded and obliged.

"When Kate and Elliot first started to fuck and date, she kept asking me to meet him but after knowing who he is, I kept coming up with excuses until I know she will be asking questions if I refuse her one more time. So, I went with her, albeit reluctantly." She paused, stuffing a fork of cold noodle in her mouth and thought through the events as she chewed. With thoughts busied in her mind, the food was tasteless in her mouth. "Kate and I just graduated not long ago, and it was the beginning of June. I have an editing job online, and she's in the Seattle Times. It was just a couple weeks after I signed your contract, we went out bowling. We found out that we had a lot in common so he invited me to his house to play Call of Duty. Kate painted me as a beach girl who parties all day long but with perfect grades and also a heavy drinker. Everyone keeps saying that I'm addicted to alcohol and party life but I'm not. I can't say that I don't like them but I'm not addicted; I'm not addicted to anything apart from maybe sex with you."

She stopped abruptly suddenly realized that she was going to start ranting if she didn't stop any time soon. He smirked inwardly as he silently remembered her very last sentence, he would be making sure to keep reminding her of that later on.

"He told me about you and about your childhood. Not one of them suspected that I knew you personally when I accidentally slipped that you're far from gay when they all assumed that you're homosexual." He raised an eyebrow at her but she pretended to not see it. "I avoided hanging out with him as much as I can but he liked me and kept inviting me to places. I kept declining and coming up with excuses. But if I kept giving him shitty excuses, he's going to suspect stuff, so I went to his house to chill one time. Kate was there and she was staying the night. She was sitting on the couch when we played and was already getting tipsy from the beer she was having. We were waiting for take out and I was showing them ways to take shots." Again, she stopped herself before she revealed too much. Knowing he'd know about this part of her later, she thought it wasn't necessary to tell him just yet. She was positive that he wouldn't like it one bit when the information was unveiled to him. He knew she was holding back something but decided to not push her, knowing he probably wouldn't like it much.

"The next day," she continued her story, "I thought both of them were hangover even though I've had way more than them, but I think they drank less water than I did the night before." She stressed wanting to prove that she knew how to take care of herself and knew what she was doing when it comes to alcohols. "I went to the gym downstairs and started my daily workout. Then, Elliot found me. He was initially here to ask me to make breakfast but then saw me boxing and asked me if I knew how to street-fight. I said yes so he challenged me for a street-fighting." She shrugged as if telling him that she had no idea what was on Elliot's mind when he asked that.

"Sounds like Elliot." He muttered under his breath.

"That's like the three times I've hangout with him, I didn't go out with him alone though I did think about going out with him before I return to LA after ending my contract with you. I was going to ask him to hangout for one last time as a goodbye or something. I know I can't stay in contact with him after we ended so I was going to get him away from Kate so she doesn't ask questions. But, well, I guess that never happened since you've asked for twenty-four more hours with me." She concluded.

"Are these all?"

She nodded just as his phone rang. She was going to tell him that there were some minor details that she didn't think he was ready to hear just yet but he was already gone with the phone next to his ear. She was also going to warn him that there was so much more about her past that she wasn't sure he could handle, and she was going to tell him that what she had told him in the past hour was merely the rules that she had broken in the contract during their three months together.

"I will finish my food. I promised you this." She said quickly as he excused himself to take the call. She knew she didn't exactly deserve a guy like him, but she had been reckless girl her whole life, taking risks had been her norm; and following her heart had also been one of her many mantra that she would chant to herself when she needed a little persuasion to go against her better judgement.

…

Anastasia cleared the table. Scraped the plates and put them into the dishwasher like she did when she was a submissive. Wiping the table clean, she headed into the sub-room to use the bathroom.

When she walked passed Christian's office, she heard him yelling into the phone. It was Ros on the receiving end. She audibly winced, really feeling for the woman. She liked Ros since she met her, and she was seriously thinking about going out with her for a drink some time in the future.

She walked into the room and was hit by the emptiness of the place the same time she heard Christian's loud exclaim.

"She what, Gail?"

Anastasia couldn't hear what Gail had said but she could only guess that he was reading the note that she left him and the car keys not far away from his reach. Walking into the connected bathroom, she saw that it was also cleared. Not knowing what to think, she decided to bite the bullet and get answers from Christian.

"I had Gail move it to my room." He replied cooly before returning to his phone, seemingly searching for the next phone call that he was supposed to make before she interrupted. Nodding mutely, she retreated from his door and went to his bathroom.

Sitting on the toilet seat and looking down at the blood stain on her underwear made her realize that this was the first time she had her period in three months…

"Fuck." She whispered to herself, stuffing in a tampon, she stood back up deciding to deal with the stained panties later.

…

Christian was still in his study yelling at people when she came out of his bedroom. With nothing to do, she stepped out on to the balcony.

She didn't know how long she had been out there staring down at the rest of Seattle with a blank mind until she heard a voice behind her.

"Are you vaping?"

Immediately, she knew she had dampened his already soured mood after her confession over dinner and his phone call from work. The minor detail that she had neglected earlier had just came back to bite her in the ass merely minutes after.

Exhaling a puff of pale blue smoke rings, she squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that she was in deep trouble. All she could think of was to jump over the railing so she wouldn't have to face the disappointment in his eyes but that was the easy way out, it was the coward move. So, she said.

"Yes."

* * *

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 **X**


	6. FIFTH HOUR

_**FIFTH HOUR**_

 _"Yes."_

Silence followed.

Anastasia didn't dare to turn around. She placed her e-cigaret back into the pocket of her denim shorts hooking it around one of the belt loops.

Breathing out the last bit of visible smoke in her, she closed her eyes and hung her head, waiting for the berating that she was sure she'd be getting sooner or later. She knew she had pushed him too far.

"I'm sorry, Christian." She said in the same defeated voice that she used when she replied to his question earlier. If he wasn't going to speak, she thought she should. "I know it's a word that's way overused for me tonight." She then added. Her breath hitched when she felt him standing next to her in the same position that she was in.

His eyes were focused on the skyline of Seattle before him and far ahead. Millions of thoughts were running through his head yet none of them were even closed to punishing her the way he would do to a submissive. The thought was no longer appealing to him where Anastasia was concerned.

"Do you want me to get out of your house?" She asked quietly, not even daring to gauge his mood at the moment when he had said nothing and indicated nothing since walking in on her with a vapor.

"No." Was all he said, it was a short answer without much emotion but she still turned around for the door, thinking that he would want some time to himself to clear his head.

She didn't even took a step away from the railing to the door, his arm came around her mid-section and hauled her back. She felt her back hitting the railing and his other arm around her waste resting on her lower back. He had pinned her against the railing within seconds, and before she could get a coherent word out of her mouth after having all of the air hit out of her lung…

His mouth was on her and his body was pushed against hers.

The kiss was desperate and full of unexplainable emotions.

It ended just as quick as it started.

She didn't even know if she had kissed back or not, but at the moment, she knew she was in no position to speak or make smart-ass remarks.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked, and she shook her head. "Good," he said but he didn't release her, instead, he pulled her into a hug, with his chin resting on her shoulder and later buried his face in the crook of her neck. "We're going to discuss this later." He told her and all she could do was nod in agreement. They had enough secret sharing for one night.

"How did the things at work go?" She asked in a tiny voice, almost uncertain that if she was given permission to talk.

"Not now, Anastasia." He shook his head and that was enough indication for her to know that it went far from well.

Hesitantly lifting her arms up and looping them around his neck, she pulled him closer to her in an attempt to absorb some of the stress that he was feeling at the moment. She knew she had contributed to at least half of them.

"Do you know what Ros told me earlier on the phone?" He mumbled with his chin rested on her shoulder.

"What," she asked, turning her face slightly so she could kiss his hair lightly, offering the smallest support she could.

"She said we looked good together as a couple." He chuckled as if he thought his colleague sounded ridiculous. Anastasia frowned and doubt ran through her body. "Funny that I agreed." He pulled away slightly, and she could see him beaming at her, the previous worries completely wiped away from his face.

"I think she's very observant." She agreed.

"She also said that the look in my eyes reflected my true feelings for you, and that she had never seen me look at anyone the way I look at you."

"I know, I can see it." She whispered, her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. Surprisingly for him, he found it soothing and comforting.

"Did you know that she and Andrea both took pictures of us when we were waiting at the elevator?" He asked, his tone suggested that he was far from annoyed by the thought.

"Can I see them?"

"I didn't ask for them." He replied regrettably. "You can ask them for it if you want to see them." He suggested, although secretly debating if he should use one of those as a wallpaper for his phone.

"Can I ask you something? Two, actually." She looked at him, waiting for his response. "It's nothing bad." She added the same time he nodded his head. "Why did you call the school telling them that I'd be back a week late?" She asked, deciding to let the part where he payed for her tuition go because… _what's done is done_.

"Your second question?"

"Are you flying me straight to my school after taking me away for my birthday?"

"Yes," he answered the second question.

"Then why did you excuse me for a whole week?" She repeated her first question to him.

"A man can hope." He smiled shyly and she found it adorable. The thought made a giggle escape her throat.

She looked away to stop her from giggling but whenever she looked back up at him, she felt like giggling again.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she replied still giggling at his confusion.

"Ana." He warned playfully.

"Really, I'm just happy." She gave him a huge grin as she snuggled closer to him, bringing her lips to the bottom of his neck, gently grazing over the skin.

"I am, too." He sighed blissfully, hugging her tighter. It never occurred to him that he would want to hold someone as much as he wanted to hold this person in his arms.

"Like I said, Christian, you're not cut out for this lifestyle, this is only an escape for you. I know that because I've seen you interact with your brother, interact with me when you're not in the Dom mode. That mode is only a façade for you to escape from the real life, the cruel reality and demons that you don't want to face. I only signed your contract because I wanted something to do for the summer, and also I wanted to try this lifestyle. I've been researching about it for the past four years of my college life, but I've never tried it before. While you may think that you need control, I believe this lifestyle is restricting you. You can't possibly believe that you can be fucking pale-skinned brunette girls for your entire life. I'm not saying you should settle down, because I don't want to settle down either so I get you, but this really isn't a way of life. It can bring you outlet short-term but you can't escape from whatever you're escaping from forever, you'll have to face them sooner or later. When you are in Dom mode, you act in a way the Dominants are expected to behave, and that is not you because you're acting. Can't you see it? When you're being a Dom with a sub at your feet, you feel powerful because people can't judge you or make any comments about your decisions. You're in control because in this game setup, the sub is supposed to act in certain ways and the Dom is expected of something else, so in a way, you're only putting on an act so you can feel powerful and in control, but in the end, you will have to come back to reality, you can't live in the alternative universe because there's no human in this world that's willing to act submissive their entire life on their own terms."

He didn't say anything but also didn't gave her any reaction or indication that he was going to say something. His silence was creeping her out a little, making her think that she had once again made a fool of herself and pushed the right button to anger him. After tonight, the last thing in her mind was to act deviously to disappoint him any further.

They stood there in each other's embrace in quiet peace.

Listening to the noises of the city of Seattle beneath their feet.

"You are a very talented singer, Ana." He commented randomly.

"That's actually my hidden talent," she said shyly. "I am good at making impression of other singers but I don't really like to show it off. I don't want to be a singer and I don't really like to sing unless I feel like singing."

"Do you feel like recording an album for me?" He joked.

"Hmm… that depends."

"You promised," he reminded her.

"Fuck you for bringing that up. Way to ruin the mood, Grey."

"That's twice you wanted to fuck me, I'll keep count of the times you said that so you can make good promise of your words later." He smirked at her when she pulled away from him just to glare at him. "I know you want to jump my bones, Anastasia."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she muttered knowing she was a lost cause when his eyes darkened and his fingers danced along her skin south.

"I'm not and I won't." He replied in triumph. "Can we go make that album, now, please? It'll be just for us even though I really really want to play it for a record company." He added the last part just to rile her up.

"You wouldn't dare, Christian." She squeezed him, while looking into his eyes and saw the mirth dancing in them. She wanted to say 'fuck you' but she knew he'd be teasing her even more if she did. "Knowing you, you'd be too jealous to share." It was now her turn to smirk.

"You do know me better than I think you do." He said admitting defeat.

"Of course I do."

"I just wish I know you just as well."

"You still have approximately nineteen hours to rectify that situation."

…

"Come on, Grey. Sit." She patted the spot next to her behind the keyboard enthusiastically.

He immediately went over and sat down next to her. She was evidently in a surprisingly better mood since entering the media room. The heaviness hanging between them long forgotten by her.

"You have no idea just how good a set you have here, Christian." She gushed, touching each and every device within reach. "You play the piano right? Don't deny it, I know you do." She talked in a speed that was almost too fast for him to process the words coming out of her mouth.

He didn't even get the chance to reply before she moved to the next topic. "You play them at night, they sounded really really sad. I woke up a few times wanting to get water but didn't want to disturb you at the same time." She answered the unasked question. All the time, her eyes were on the screen in front of her.

After a round of clicking, a piano sheet was displayed in front of them on the lit screen. She shifted to the side a little bit more on the bench and turned to look at him for the first time in a long while.

"Mind playing the soundtrack for me?" She asked sweetly. When he looked at her, he could see that she looked so young and innocent at that moment, which made him compare it to the other moments and realized that she really wasn't as innocent as he thought she was and she was much more mature than her age let on. He appreciated and felt honored that she was showing him a deeper side of her.

"I'll be honored, Miss Steele." He replied earnestly, moving more toward the middle.

"Why don't we start with the song I sang?"

"I thought you've already recorded that."

"Yeah, and this is the score that I wrote." She said, pointing to the piano sheet in front of them on the screen. "I just thought you might want to play for me since this is the only score sheet that I've got for the songs." She explained, suddenly feeling self-conscious and insecure about her decisions.

"I do want to." He quickly replied to assure her. "Now, come on, prepare your voice and ready to sing."

"Don't you need to practice?"

"It seems like you don't know me as well as you say you do then," he smirked before turning to the keyboard. She pressed the record button right before he started to play the prelude.

She started to sing when she was cued, and just then, she realized that she didn't include the lyrics on the piano score and the moment she really thought about the next line her flow was interrupted and she couldn't think of the next line.

"Shit," she murmured when she couldn't find the word for that line and missed it completely. "I forgot." She laughed as he turned to stare at her in amusement.

"No shit, Sherlock. Even though I've only heard it twice, I know that there are no swear words in this song that you gave me."

"You just have to be a smart-ass don't you?" She glared at him before pushing him out of the way and went up to pull up the lyrics so it was next to the piano score.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded. He pressed down when something started to vibrate violently in his pocket.

"DEFCON?" She voiced the minute she heard the sound.

"How'd you know?"

"Doesn't matter. Just answer your phone."

"You owe me." He said before putting the phone beside his ear. "Grey." Then, he rolled his eyes at his brother's greeting over the phone. His eyes darted to Anastasia when he heard the next part. "It's for you, girl."

"What did you just call me?" She was beyond shock at his word choice and couldn't help but laugh at his demeanor at the moment. "It's El isn't it?" He just shrugged.

"Yo bitch," she took the phone from him, "what do you want?" She said after he greeted her back. "Oh shit. Why didn't you fucking remind me when you were here crashing the party?" She accused, "you ass." She pouted. "I did _not_ lie, Elliot. I didn't know your brother's so clingy. I thought I would be back in Berkeley tonight… he called in sick for me, for the entire fucking week… yeah, I know I'm missing it out. He better makes the week worth staying. Okay, yeah get her on the phone." She sighed, "fuck you," then she visibly blushed, "I can't respond to that, he's staring at me right now." She said, glancing up at Christian who was now looking at her more intently. "I don't owe you jack shit, get the fuck over it." She exclaimed exasperatedly. "You wouldn't dare, Elliot Trevelyan-Grey. If you do, I'll tell him about the time you tried to blackmail me."

For the next few minutes, she fended off Kate's inquisition and promised her that she'd call her tomorrow. Christian could see clearly she wasn't in the mood for a girl's talk, and rather talk with Elliot.

"What did you and my brother talk about?" He asked when she handed the phone back to him.

"I'll give you the filtered version." She decided, sitting down on the bench close to him, she didn't wait for him to say anything as she continued. "He first told me that Kate has been calling me nonstop but went straight to voicemail, because I haven't checked my phone since I was about to leave a few hours ago." She shrugged. "Then he made a comment about me forgetting about my hoe now that I've got a dick, so I called him an ass." He didn't know whether to laugh at that comment or frown but he let her continue. "He said I lied to Kate when I said I needed to run some errands before returning to her place like I promised, so I told them that I didn't know you'd be asking for more from me, and I wasn't expecting to stay at your place after that performance and I told him I really did plan on going back to Cali today just like I told him and Kate a few days ago." He listened to her intently, recalling every answer she'd given. He wondered if she was going to confirm the fact that it was him that she was referring to when she lamented about missing something out because of his twenty-four hour request.

"I told him to get the phone to Kate since she was itching to talk to me." She paused, looking hesitant. "I'm not sure I should disclose the rest of our conversation."

"Well, I will decide it for you. So, just spit it out." He raised an eyebrow challenging her.

"Fine, you asked for it." She grumbled. "It was about vapor though." She added, watching the changes in his expression carefully.

"Keep talking."

"He said that I better tell him about what's going between us before he out me to you about me teaching him how to blow out smoke rings."

"You fucking did what, Anastasia?"

"I told you so." She sighed, looking away. "I warned you."

"You didn't tell me that you hooked my brother into taking this shit."

"He's not hooked, and neither am I!" She protested, though the attempt seemed to have fell on deaf ears. Rubbing her face with her hands in frustration, she finished the rest of the recount of the conversation, knowing he'd just get more and more upset by the time she finished so it would be better if she just get it out at once. "I said 'fuck you', and he said 'anytime'. Usually, I'd say I don't do cheating, and he said whoever it is doesn't have to know, and I'd usually just play along, but since you were staring at me and listening to everything I said… I can't say what I usually say. Then, he reminded me again that I owed him an explanation about our relationship." She said, gesturing between him and her. "So, I told him I don't owe that to him, then he said he'll tell you about my vapor and my shooting because he told me that you don't like it. I should've just said to go ahead so he wouldn't get suspicious when his threat worked every time."

"What about the blackmail?"

"I once told him that I rejected all the Ivy Leagues I've applied to because I'd rather stay in California so that I wouldn't be missing out all the beach parties and fun shit. In a heat of the moment, I may or may not have told him to look me up." She squeaked out the very last part.

"What blackmail material does he have then?"

"Photos."

"What kind of photos? Nude? And they're on the internet?" He fired questions at her and she was frozen in her place. "Anastasia," he tried again. "Tell me."

"It's a story for another time."

"Are they on the internet?"

"The blackmail materials aren't." She said quietly.

"He has nude pics of you?" He yelled, and all she could do was stare at him. "Tell me, Anastasia." He towered over her, almost spitting into her face with the shouting he had been doing. "Did he take them himself? Was he cheating on Kate with you? Were you cheating on me?"

"No! No, none of us cheated. As much as we like to fool around, we've never kissed and never fucked." She screamed, hurt yet felt deserving of the accusations. "He got the pictures from my phone because he has a fingerprint on my phone."

"Why would he have a fingerprint on your phone? Does he have one on Kates?"

"No, he doesn't. Kate won't let him look at her phone. I have one on his phone. We were just fooling around like always."

"When did that happen?"

"When we were in his house."

"Kate was drunk."

"Yes, she was, but nothing happened. We are just really close friends. I've got nothing to hide, he's got nothing to hide, so we just registered our fingerprints on the other's phone after knowing the password. He and Kate are the only two who has fingerprint on my phone, Sean didn't even have one." She didn't know why she said it because it certainly wasn't going to make him feel better and it didn't.

"You've got nothing to hide, Anastasia." He seethed, "then where did he get your nude photos from?"

"I forgot I have them." She confessed.

"Look, I know that you're open and an extrovert and has lots of friends and shit, but you…" he didn't even know what to say to her anymore. "I felt disrespected, Ana." His voice was barely audible, and it made her heartbreak remembering that insecurity was one of the main obstacle that stopped him from opening up to people.

"I'm…"

"Don't say you're sorry, because that's an overrated word for you right now."

"It is."

"Anastasia, as much as I don't want to admit it, but in the three months that we've been together, I have realized that I am in love with you. I did fell for you despite everything, and I know for a fact that I can never find it in my heart to truly let you go. But, you really are pushing me right now. You have always been a challenge to me, and now you're just proving how big of a challenge you really are to me." It was the most shocking confession she'd ever heard from anyone. She had heard tons of confessions of all kinds but this was by far the most shocking for her. "Believe me, Anastasia, I'd be kicking you out if I learned about just one-third of the shit you've done, but I can't because no matter what, it doesn't change how I feel about you."

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her propped up palm, trying to process all the information that he had dumped on her just like she did to him earlier over dinner.

"I told you that I don't want to put a label on my feelings for you just yet, but I can't deny it anymore. I've been trying to stay in my character for the better part of the past three months trying to think of ways to get you out of my system. Nothing works, and believe me, part of me doesn't want anything to work because I want to keep you."

"I truly regret pushing every one of your buttons, your rules and your boundaries." She sounded like she was crying when she really was just silently berating herself for every reckless behavior that she had.

"I believe that you do, but I'm also sure that you're not going to change now that there are no rules for you to follow, or broken in your case."

 _Rules are meant to be broken, right?_ She thought bitterly at the reckless motto that she once lived by up until very recently.

"You're right, I probably won't change, but I will stop vaping and partying, I won't carry when I'm with you and I will live up to my promises." She looked into his eyes and said those words in a determined tone.

"I can't stop you, Anastasia. You will be in Berkeley next week and you will be doing everything you've been doing since you moved to LA. You're going to be in the environment that you're so familiar and comfortable in, you will be forgetting your promises to me as fast as you promised me." It was the first time that he had told anyone that much about what he was truly feeling outside of a therapy session. He felt comfortable enough to tell her and he thought it was necessary for her to understand what he was feeling if he wanted a long-shot with her.

"Christian, I never thought there'd be a relationship between us other than the sex with an expiration date. It was meant to be a summer fling because I just wanted to do something that I've never done before since graduating UCLA and before starting at UCB. I'm going back to California next week, and if I say yes to you at the end of the twenty-four hours tomorrow, and we start to date, what are we going to do once the weekend is over?"

"Long-distance."

"Christian," she started, carefully thinking through the proposition she was going to make to him. "I can't stop you from returning to your old lifestyle just like you can't stop me from returning to mine, and if we want this relationship to work, we need to be able to trust each other. Right now, while we think we trust one another, the trust we have for one another obviously isn't enough because what we are talking about right now are our insecurities."

"Then what are you getting at?"

"Let's make a pact." She proposed.

"A pact?"

"A deal if you will."

"I know what that is."

"But we have to trust each other that we will be honoring our side of the deal. It only works if we trust each other enough to honor what we agreed on."

He nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"We are promising each other that we're not going to return to our old lifestyle when we're at different states." She announced, "I'm swear I'll stop vaping, partying and not carry when I'm with you. I promise I won't get too close to any men other than Elliot. I will only go out with Sean if I'm with you because we tend to get wasted whenever we're out and do shit that you would't approve of."

"That Sean fucker is a bad influence." He grumbled.

"You will swear that you won't go back to your old lifestyle. You won't be having the idea of getting a submissive whenever you're stressed, you won't be going to another woman just to let your steam off or when you're vexed. You will also promise me that you won't act like a Dom to me anymore because I know you'd be like that once I'm not in the same city as you, and you'll worry. And, please, no CPO."

"I can give you my word on everything you say apart from the last one."

"My safety is your concern, yes, I know that, but there are no threats."

"Yet. Anastasia, your safety is my greatest concern and worry. I know you can handle yourself but once people learn just how important you are to me, they will be getting to me through you using any method they can think of."

"I told you I carry."

"So do the people who are desperately trying to harm me."

"I'm not in Detroit or Chicago." She said pointedly even though she didn't know if the two cities had the same meaning to her than to him.

"But you'll be off campus," he looked at her daring for her to argue, ignoring the mention of the place that tainted his childhood.

"Yeah, I will."

"Then at least compromise on a shadow when you're off campus." He negotiated.

"I want his number and I want to meet him before I go." She stated her terms.

"It will be Luke Sawyer. If he's not available, then Belinda Prescott."

She thought for a moment and then nodded at his choices.

"Okay," she conceded, "just one shadow at a time." She emphasized.

"Yes, one at once."

Standing up, she stood in front of him to stop him from pacing.

"Now that we have a deal. Remember your terms and conditions and stick to them." She told him sternly.

"Only if you do the same."

"Kiss on it."

…

For some reason, they kept finding themselves in situations where either one of them would be upset about something the other did in the past.

"Can't we just finish recording at least one song?" Anastasia lamented after pulling away from that kiss which was supposed to be a kiss to seal the promise but turned into a french kiss that left both of them panting and wanting for more.

"We keep getting interrupted. Too bad that we're popular people." Christian shrugged, keeping a straight face when he said his reply. "I mean, my brother dropped by unannounced."

"He was invited by Jason." She interrupted.

"Doesn't matter," he shrugged again, "then, not even two hours after he left, he called again, because _someone_ isn't checking their phone so their best friend is calling to checkup."

"It's not everyday that you get asked out by your ex-Dominant." She argued, but got ignored once more.

"Then, there's your little confession. Quite some experiences and stories you've got there, by the way."

"You asked for it. It's karma."

"Then when I took just a few minutes to take care of something from work, to resolve it once and for all, I step out to find you only to see you smoking."

"I'm not smoking, it'a vaping. They're different."

"And then," he raised his voice slightly as if it could cover up her last sentence. "You implied that Elliot vapes, not to mention also has access to your nude photos. Which, by the way, makes me think, why the _fuck_ do you have nude pics? Did you take them by yourself or did someone else did it using your phone?"

"That's a story for another time, Mister." She looked around waving her hand and said evasively. "I can give you a hint thought," she appeased, "I model for brands."

"When?" His lips was pressed together, forming a thin line, he was severely displeased.

"Since middle school." She shrugged nonchalantly. "It seems like _you're_ the one having second thoughts about asking for this twenty-four hour extension."

"I don't regret ever meeting you but I do regret not seeing through your little submissive act, which as I keep repeating and emphasizing, is horrible."

"Yet you kept me for three months _and_ also asked if I was sure I don't want to extend it."

"Yeah, speaking of which," he was surprised just how easy this girl was able to lead him off track and derail him from the topic their were focusing on. "What is your reason for not wanting an extension to the contract? You never told me."

"Actually, I thought I did." She looked at him, "maybe not as explicit and direct as you wanted, but I thought the song was enough."

"Because you fell in love with me?"

* * *

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 **X**


	7. SIXTH HOUR

_**SIXTH** **HOUR**_

 _"Because you fell in love with me?"_

He asked, sounding as if that reason was outrageous and wasn't even legit enough to be a reason to refuse the extension that he proposed.

"Yeah, that was the reason I was going to give you when you asked. It was the only one I could think of, too, under your heated intense gaze." She shrugged, strolling back to the recording set, letting her fingers run over the keyboard and the other devices connected by wire cords. It looked well preserved, too well preserved that it looked brand new even though she knew that the set was produced almost a year ago, and it was the best around the time it first came out.

"What will the reason be now?"

"I told you already, I'm not cut out for the lifestyle. I don't like it." She repeated her words she told him in the first hour.

"Then why did you say yes to more?"

"Because I have faith in you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked down at him, since he was sitting on the bench. He reached his arms out and rested them on her hips, pulling her closer to him until he could lay his forehead on her stomach.

"That's not good enough."

"You don't like that reason?"

"No," he shook his head against her, making her ab muscles clench and hardening her abdomen to block out the itchiness that she was feeling.

"Well, too bad, because I didn't like the response you gave me when I asked you to give me one good reason to stay."

"At least I gave you a time limit," he protested weakly, knowing there were no comparisons.

"That wasn't an answer, though," she reasoned.

"You still agreed to it," he argued.

"I did. I agreed to your proposition out of my own free will, not because you've convinced me. If I really was hesitating, your words wouldn't make me stay." She told him while smoothing her hand over his hair. She felt his arms slowly snaking around her waist and encircling it, pulling her even closer to him. "I stayed because I actually want to give you a chance to make you realize that a normal relationship is doable for you."

He chuckled and shook his head as if not believing a word she said, and she knew he was still having trouble letting the fact sink into him, so she didn't push him and continued.

"Call me selfish, but I stayed because I want to be there to see you change and I want to be the one that you trust to seek support from, to lean on. I know that my song will make you think and I know that you have the potential to change. I know that one day, you will be looking back at yourself and finally see that you're trapped in this lifestyle because it prevented you from seeing the world another way. You will change, and I know that, and I want to be there to witness it when it happens. I have every reason to believe that if any of your previous submissives see you the way I do and see your lifestyle the way I see and understand it, they would have tried to change you. They might have tried before but was shunned out by you immediately, I was lucky because you didn't shut me out. I'm sure many people has tried to turn you to a boyfriend, and I'm sure if I didn't tell you this, someone else will; and I'm also sure that if I'm just another submissive, then your future submissives will do the same. Only, you will end up falling in love with them and all my efforts will prove to be fruitless."

The long silence that followed made her doubt if she had chosen the wrong time to deliver that speech, because she knew it was an inevitable topic that they'd have to cover eventually.

"I told you, Anastasia, I am in love with you. I'm admitting it now. You make me see the world differently. You make me see color in my dull, colorless world. There's only black and white for me before you came."

"And red."

"Yes," he chuckled, "but that's not the point. You are changing me, in a good way. I like who I am when I am around you."

"I don't think change is the best word here, Christian," she said thoughtfully, "because I don't think you're changing, you're just slowly pulling yourself out of a shell called BDSM. Sure you can still go back to it whenever you feel like life's too much, but you can't live there. I think you're relying on it a little too much." She pulled away to look at his face in order to gauge his mood better so she could know if she could continue or change the topic.

"That's the only way I know how. I don't like being touched and I think relationships complicates everything." He sighed.

"I know that, and I completely get it, but I think it might be time for you to face certain complications in your life. You'll have to deal with it one way or another, and suppression through absolute control isn't the solution to a problem. No one likes a tyrant, or a dictator. People will rise up to kick your ass out sooner or later given the way you claim you operate."

"What do you think I should do, apart from opening up to people?" He asked wryly, hating the taste of those words from his mouth.

"You should be yourself, and learn to trust other people enough. You don't give them enough credit, Christian." She explained, "from what I can see." She said, recalling her brief visit to his office and seeing him work. "Your employees are terrified of you," she started, neglecting a small piece of information that she would have to tell him later when he could understand what the problem was at the moment. "Ros is the only one that dares to voice her thought, but even she is afraid of being on the opposite side of an argument with you. Honestly, Christian, you can be unreasonable sometimes. I don't know if it's pride that you can't swallow, or your huge ego, but you have to let people breath. They are your employees, they are human beings, they're not robots who don't have feelings. You bark orders at people and you yell at them whenever shit hits the fans, you brush people off so easily as if they don't matter. When you're a Dominant, you stress the concept of respect, yet you only respect them physically."

She paused to check his reaction, to see how he had received all her observational report. She didn't want to push him too far, she still wanted to share the rest of the twenty-four hours with him in peace and she was still looking forward to whatever he might've planned for them.

"Just finish your thought, Anastasia. I know what you're thinking right now. Don't worry, I'll get over it." He grumbled against her thin tank top material and told her that he was still listening. She nodded to herself in encouragement and picked up from where she left off.

"In my opinion, you're not abusing the people around you physically, but you are, to an extent, abusing them emotionally. Again, it's just mousy little me adding my two cents of worth knowing that you have a professional to consult with."

"You're my mousy Ana," he kissed the spot where he laid his head and waited for her to continue to speak. In his mind, he knew that what she said all made sense but he wasn't ready to admit it or change his behavior just yet.

"While you are in complete control, Christian, you are depriving yourself the opportunity to discover new things that you might not know that you're interested in. In your workplace, you seemed unapproachable, and when I told you to go back to work, everyone gaped at me as if I just offended Holy Jesus or something. They fear you, and I don't think that will make your employees happy. Though I'm sure some might think that I'm downright disrespectful."

"They earn good money."

"Christian," she shook her head, staring at the man who was worth billions, or maybe up to trillions in the future, of dollars in her arms, "you of all people should know that money don't mean anything to those who don't have anyone to share it with."

"You don't understand."

"Sometimes wealth isn't what people are after," she continued, interrupting him and gave him a look that told him to let her finish.

"Please continue your speech, I'm listening." He grumbled, clearly not happy to be lectured, much less by a woman who was his submissive some five hours ago.

"Look at the founder of Amazon. He and his wife are the world wealthiest people, yet they're announcing their divorce after twenty-five years of marriage. Sure, they looked happy in public, but are they really though? They can have everything money could buy them, yet they are divorcing? Seems like they're not happy with all the money they have, after all."

"So, you're saying that I'm suffocating people?" He grunted, still unhappy about all the lecturing he was getting from her, even more so because she was right and he was having trouble admitting that out loud.

"To an extent because you don't trust them." She nodded, "I'm not capable of telling you how to manage your company or conduct your relationship with your submissives, but I just want you to keep in mind that you can't control everything and sometimes, better suited solutions may present themselves at the most unexpected time. You can't plan everything and you can't foresee the future. You can't prevent every disaster from happening but you can be cautious, you'll just have to know what you're expecting and be prepared for it. Believe me, you're going to drive not only yourself but everyone around you crazy if you don't learn to believe in them a little bit more."

"I do trust them."

"Then maybe you don't trust them enough, because they certainly don't feel like you trust them since you're always breathing down their necks."

"I don't."

"Liar."

She thought she was seeing things, but at that moment, she could almost see a smile fighting its way to his lips but he was trying very hard to suppress it.

"Enjoy your life, and let others to enjoy theirs, too. The pressure you put on your employees at GEH might influence their family life, the suppression you exercise over your submissives may bore you in the end. You are human, yet you're expecting another human to behave like a robot but at the same time to know your every need at every given moment. You have a life and so do they, you can't dictate what they do in their lives because that doesn't concern you. Christian, you're asking too much from your submissives, even if they don't fall in love with you, you will kick them out because you got bored. That's hardly fair for them isn't it?"

"How come you know so much?"

"Because I have a life, which gives me experience that you don't have."

"Have you thought about being a shrink?"

"No," she scrunched up her nose. "Psychiatry is appealing to me, but since I want to get through one thing at a time. For now, I just want to get my Master's degree with hopefully the same remarkable achievements as I had for undergrad. I also hope you won't be a distraction." She joked playfully.

"That's going be hard," he kidded but half-serious at the same time.

"Are you okay? After all the lectures from me." She asked genuinely worried about his reception and reaction to her analysis and her speech.

"I just need time to process them and I'll probably need more time to accept them."

"Talk to your shrink."

"I will, and he'll have a fucking field day."

"How come?"

"I'm too different from the person that everyone else knows when you're with me."

"I hope that's a good different."

"You bring out the best and the worst of me."

"Like I said, Grey, I try." She grinned cheekily at him.

"You're adorable."

"And you're cute."

"I'm not taking it as a compliment."

"But I meant it as one." She whined.

"Don't care," he said, suddenly swinging her around in his arms to place her onto the spot on the bench next to him.

"Give the girl some warning the next time you spin her around, please, will you." She huffed feigning anger.

"I'll think about it. No promises though." He shrugged but still kissed her on the cheek as an apology. "Oh and, just want to make it clear." He halted the movements of her hands to make her look at him. "Please, no more lectures."

The pleading look in his eyes made her giggle harder than she wanted to. If he wasn't so easily riled up, she would make a comment on just how comical he looked.

"No promises," she sang, mimicking his voice from earlier.

"You're going to pay." He growled.

"In what way?" She batted her eyelash at him coquettishly.

"You'll know."

"Are you going to spank me?"

"Anastasia," he growled.

"With those silver balls." She continued as if she didn't hear him, her eyes glued to the screen and her hands tapping on the keyboard to input the name of the song that she was determined to record tonight.

When she didn't hear a response, she thought he was going to ignore her so she would sound like a fool. She shrugged, thinking that was also okay for her, it wasn't like anyone else was going to see her making a total fool out of herself.

Not two seconds later, she felt a hand on her knee, travelling up to her thigh sensually, sending shivers down her spine.

"Christian," even she could hear the sultriness in her own voice. Never would she thought that she could be turned on so easily by someone.

"Yes, baby?" He purred next to her ear.

"I'm wet."

"Aren't you always."

She bit her lip so she could ignore the temptation of pulling off her denim shorts and let him finger her on that bench.

"And I know you're hard." She stated.

"As a matter of fact," he took her free hand and guided it to the bulge in his pants, "yes."

"You claimed you can survive a day without having sex."

"Yes, I remember." He whispered next to her ear, nibbling on her earlobe. Peeling his jacket off one of her shoulder, his mouth attacked the newly exposed skin as his hand continued to travel up her thigh and into the loose opening of her denim shorts.

"Christian," she moaned.

"Mm," he hummed, "yes, baby?"

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like to you?"

"It looks like you're about to break your promise."

"I never promised anything."

"You did say that you're not going to fuck me in this twenty-four hour period."

"Who said anything about me fucking you?"

"It certainly looks like you're seconds away from tearing all the clothes off me."

"I am, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to fuck you."

She bit her lip again to mute another moan that was about to come out of her mouth.

"I'm going to prove to you just how much control I can have over everything."

"I told you you can't be in control of everything."

"And that's where you're wrong."

"I'm not, you just hate it when people break it to you that the reality you actually live in is different than the reality you think you are living in."

He stopped all assault abruptly, leaving her aroused with need. She didn't even get a chance to recover from the disappointment she felt when his mouth left her skin when she felt him burying his face in her breast.

"Christian," she squealed, "that actually tickles."

"What does?"

"Your stubble."

"But you love them."

"Yeah, I do, but that won't change the fact that it tickles."

"Nah, your breast are just too ticklish." He purposely grazed his stubbled chin over her breasts making her squirm in her seat but with his arms around her, she couldn't move too much.

"Christian! Fuck off!" She tried to get her hands out of his grasp but she never succeeded, all her strength left her body when he continued to tickle her.

"Now I know how to get you." He grinned at her after taking pity on her and letting go of her.

…

"Can we sing a duet, please?"

She looked pleadingly at Christian who had just came back from retrieving her phone for her per her request.

"Is that what you want to record?"

"Yes, and I'm determined to finish one recording tonight." She looked so happy and he didn't have the heart to crush her, so he complied, despite knowing the only song he could sing properly was _Heartless_ , the one he surprised her with when they were cooking earlier.

"Okay, which song?"

"Love you, Grey!" She kissed him on the lips sloppily and turned back to the screen to pull up the song she wanted them to record without even waiting to see his reaction.

"If I'd known that you'd be so happy with small simple things like this…"

"You would've done it ages ago." She finished for him, "yada yada, yeah I know, every men say that when they're trying to woo the girl they like."

"I'm serious though."

"Still what every men says."

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, taking out the phone from his pocket and nudged her. "Your Majesty." He bowed pretentiously and presented the phone in his palm.

"I like it," she grinned referring to the name, "please keep using it." She took the phone from him and placed it on the side without even glancing at the lit-up screen that showed she had just too many unread notifications.

"Whatever makes you happy." He grumbled albeit meaning what he said.

"Thanks for getting it by the way," she added as an afterthought, even though she thanked him before he went.

"What song are we recording?"

"The duet version of _Say Something_ , one of your subs sang it to you before."

"I thought you're going to choose something different."

"I did say that I'm going to record all the songs that your subs played for you didn't I?" She said, silently berating herself for being so hellbent on living up to her words. "I am regretting it now but can't do shit about it." She added, "I don't know what went over me when I made you this offer."

"It was your ego," he smirked, "you just have to show-off when I complimented your voice and your singing skills." She turned her head and glared at him before telling him to read over the lyrics and listen to the song so he would know the tune.

…

With the microphone before them, Christian started off while the recording of their piano background cover was playing.

They had spent more time finding the suitable score sheet than recording. At last, Anastasia gave up and demanded that they alter the piano score after listening to the song more times than he'd ever want to listen to a particular song.

She asked him to play it and after some negotiation, and promising that she would edit his voice and use autotune, he reluctantly played the tune so it could be recorded. Grumbling under his breath how much he hated playing pop music and preferred classical music the entire time they were recording.

"Quit whining and just finish playing, if you don't stop complaining, I'll record your complaints, too."

"You better," he replied stubbornly, "so that I will have proof just how much you are abusing me, coercing me into doing stuff that I don't want to do."

"I thought you want to make me happy." She teased, throwing his word back at him.

"I do but it's so hard."

"Too bad, I'm your bitch now."

She gave him a pointed glare that made him know better than to argue.

"Are we done?" He asked the minute she pressed the stop button on the recorder.

"I still have to edit it," she said.

"I'd rather watch you record, it's so much funner to watch you sing then involve myself."

"Yeah, get off your high horse. You've been almighty all your adult life, I think it's time for you to actually participate in some activities us mere mortals do."

"If this is what you mortals do, then I'd rather stay on my high horse." He scoffed.

"Did you seriously not enjoy it?" She asked, sincerely worried about his feelings.

"I did, I just don't have the patience to do another one." He quickly explained, sensing that she was starting to get worried for real, and he only wanted to lament for the sake of complaining and no other purpose.

"Okay, good, because I remember I need to ask you something." It was half true since she really did have something to ask him, but at the same time she was trying to distract them from the previous recording session. She made a mental note to finish the songs for him and produce an album just like she had promised and added two bonus tracks with two songs that she thought would fit into that album.

"Should I be nervous?"

"It all depends," she said, getting up from the bench and pulling him with her. Leaving the devices on as a reminder that she would need to come back for the edit later.

"Oh? Where are we going?"

"Actually, I need to ask you about two things." She decided, paying no attention to his wonder.

"Even better," he grumbled sarcastically, following behind her, or more like being dragged by her, into the great room where she poured the remainder content of the Ice Wine from the bottle and offered him a glass in which he declined. He really didn't like that wine, and he was glad that she liked it.

Taking a sip of the wine, she hummed in appreciation and placed the glass gently down onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. Then, walking to the side, sitting on to one of the arms of the couch and laid down. Her booties dangling off the side over the arm and her body taking up a whole seat on the couch. Raising her arms above her head, she patted the small vacant spot left on the sofa. "Sit," said her, eyeing Christian who was watching the whole motion process in fascination.

"Stop staring," she called, getting his attention. "Surely you've seen girls do this before."

"No, actually no one dares to act the way you do around me."

"I'm just special then, I guess."

"You have no idea," he chuckled, walking to where her head laid, lifting her head up and sat down on the spot and placed her head on his lap. "Your two questions?" He reminded when she started to drift off when he played with her hair.

"Right, why did you move my stuff? Also, why don't you go to your family dinners or lunches, or whatever meal they have once a week together?"

"How do you know about what my family does?"

"My best friend's dating your brother," she reminded. "Besides, he's now my new BFF." She deadpanned. "He told me that you never go to those family gatherings and it makes your parents really sad." He sighed, not knowing how to explain it to her because he didn't even have a good answer. "You should go, you know?" She added, playing with the zipper of his jacket that was still on her.

"I know," was the only two phrase he could come up with as a response.

"Your parents love you, and so does your annoyingly flirty brother." She continued as if she couldn't sense his struggle to form words.

"My annoyingly flirty brother, you two flirt?"

"I don't think we flirt, but he seems to think that we do." She shrugged as if it was no big deal, "we're BFFs."

"And how does Kate feel about that?"

"She thinks we're funny and she thought we both sound stupid. She said watching me and Elliot is like watching two siblings fight."

He didn't say anything, there was nothing to say to that. He didn't like it, but he would have to deal with it because he knew this girl wouldn't understand just how insecure he was.

"Why didn't you go?"

"I was too busy."

"With submissives, yeah, no kidding."

"No, I meant with work."

"If you could just trust your employees a little bit more and be just a little nicer to them, maybe you won't find yourself balls deep in work."

"It's not that, Anastasia. I don't want to go because I think I don't fit, and I don't know how to act like I belong to a loving family like that."

"Don't act, just be yourself."

"I don't know how."

"You're doing fine with me."

"Maybe you should go with me next time."

"What? No, Christian what are you thinking?"

"Why not?"

"You've never brought a girl home before and all of a sudden you're like, hey I brought a friend and she's a girl."

"I certainly hope I can introduce you as my girlfriend, but I still don't see what's wrong with bringing you to meet my family." He frowned.

"That's not any better, Christian. Say we're dating when you bring me there, we'll only be dating for what two weeks at most? Not to mention, I'll be in school most of the week. Also, people meet each other's parents because they're in a committed relationship. We've known each other for literally five minutes."

"We spent three months together."

"Yeah, we spent three months together fucking. Sorry, _having sex_." She corrected when he glared at her vulgar use of language.

"So? We know each other?"

"That's not the point," she stressed, "the point is, we're not in a committed relationship and even if we are, I'm not sure I will be ready to meet your parents."

"You've got nothing to worry about, Ana. They'll be happy if you make me happy. Besides, Elliot liked you and I'm sure he's been telling everyone about us at this moment."

"What if we don't work out?"

"That's something I dread and I want to say that we won't, but being the realist that you are, you're going to argue with me, so I'm going to give you a neutral response," he gave her a pointed stare.

"Which is?"

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it."

She shrugged, clearly indifferent about their topic of discussion, but deep down she was still thinking whether if he was serious or not.

"About your second question," he said, "I had Gail move them when we're at GEH because I want you to sleep with me tonight."

"We're not having sex."

"Just sleep." He reassured, "I just think it's probably time to make one of my dreams come true."

"What dream?"

"I've dreamed about waking up to find you next to me, or maybe I've thought of waking up to you whenever I wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare." He confessed, admitting to her something he had not told even John Flynn about.

"You've dreamed of that? Why didn't you ask me to sleep with you then? I thought what Christian Grey wants, what Christian Grey gets." She teased gently.

"I've been trying to come up with legit reason to get you in my bed but I never actually came up with any. You always seemed so distance after we left the playroom so I can't gauge your mood."

"See, this is what I was saying, you're acting in this lifestyle. If you really want to get me into your bed, all you have to do is ask. I don't bite and it's not hard to get me to sleep with you, I'm easy."

He scowled at her comment but before he could scold her, his phone interrupted their conversation once again, and this time it was…

"Mia," Christian answered the phone already fearing his hurricane little sister that was only a few years younger than Anastasia.

"Oh fuck," she cussed in frustration, "you bring your phone everywhere and I fucking leave it behind me everywhere I go." She rolled her eyes at herself before getting up to the media room, finally deciding she should check her phone.

When she came back, she saw that he was still on the phone, so she resumed her previous position and started scroll through her notifications. Locking her screen back up after going through them, she placed her phone on top of her stomach and stared at the ceiling, waiting for him to end the call.

"Aren't you going to respond to them?" He asked, bringing her out of her blank stare.

"No, why? Should I? They know that I read them but never replies." She eyed him, and then see that his phone was still next to his ear, that was when she narrowed her eyes at him feeling stupid. "You weren't talking to me were you?"

"I was," he smirked, pulling the phone away from his ear and pressed the button, the next sound she heard was a shriek.

"She's there with you?" The person in the phone said.

"Yes, Mia, you just heard her." He replied.

"I know what you're doing," she sneered at him and giving him the middle finger. Taking her phone off her and started to get up only to be pressed back down by his hand.

"Mia, do you want to talk to her?" He asked.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The girl squeaked.

"You're on speaker now," he told her.

"She was on speaker long ago, you big fat liar." Anastasia deadpanned.

"Oh my god, are you Ana?" The girl almost shouted.

"Hey girl," Anastasia replied, flipping onto her stomach and wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek against his stomach as she listened to the response of Mia.

"How old is she?" She looked up at Christian asking him the question.

"I'm seventeen, turning eighteen!" The bubbly girl answered enthusiastically. "I just came back from Europe, I went there this summer with my friends. It was so fun. Have you been to Europe before?"

"Yeah," Anastasia replied, "I have, but for academic purposes."

"Oh, what were you doing there?"

"There was a time when I want to be a translator, so I decided to try but it was an epic failure. I can't seem to convert between languages even though I can speak each of them fluently."

"How many languages do you speak?"

"Enough to travel around the world without the need to use hand gestures."

"You are so talented. Oh, by the way, Elliot has told me so much about you. Like, he said you're so cool and badass. Why didn't you date Elliot? Christian is the boring one."

"Not in bed." Anastasia replied nonchalantly, the answer rolling off of her tongue naturally.

"Ew! I don't want to know that!" She yelped the same time Christian said, "Anastasia."

"Shit," she giggled silently, "it's true though." She mouthed.

"I need to wash my ear now, Ana."

"Sorry Mia, she's got no filter."

"Yeah, I'll admit, Elliot is so much better than Christian." Anastasia jabbed.

"I know right. I mean I know Christian isn't gay but he is just so busy and he never looked like he'll loosen up, let alone date anyone."

"People think you're gay?" Anastasia laughed out loud. "You? Seriously? If you're gay then they probably don't know what real homosexual men are like."

"Ana!" Mia called before Christian could say anything. "When can I meet you?"

"I'm taking her to the family dinner next weekend." He said before Anastasia could form an answer.

"You're what?" She squeaked when Mia squealed in excitement.

"Karma is a bitch, baby."

As soon as they got off the phone with Mia, Anastasia sat up and pulled away from him, glaring at him.

"I never agreed to meet your parents."

"Why are you so hellbent on this issue?"

"Because, believe it or not, Christian, meeting your boyfriend's parents is a big deal to the family." She explained. "No one in your family would believe it if you tell them that I'm just a friend, so you can't tell them that I'm just a friend." She rambled, "then, when someone like you who doesn't bring anyone home suddenly brings a girlfriend home, they're going to think we're serious."

"Are we not serious?"

That question caught her off guard, she never really gave that a thought. She had only just put a label on her feelings for him and she hadn't really thought about dating him let along a long term commitment with him.

"Ana, you've ruined me for good. There's no other girl for me. Just you."

She didn't want to say anything, fearing what she would say might just hurt him.

"Do you really not want to go?" He asked after a while of silence. Her phone vibrated, shifting both of their attention, he picked it up out of habit for checking ever notification just in case they were important.

"Why is Barney Sullivan sending you pictures?" His voice sounded emotionless and detached, and this was what Anastasia didn't want him to behave. "And, why aren't you replying to any of the messages?"

"He took pictures of me in the office today. I don't like replying and everyone knows that I don't, I only reply to yours because it's in the contract, I just hate to be the last one that speaks in a text conversation." She muttered back the answer, still staring into space. "Christian, I don't mind going, but I just hate to disappoint your parents because of who I am."

"You're not going to disappoint them."

"They're probably going to think I'm this irresponsible, reckless bitch who acts like a slut and treats people like shit."

"What makes you say that?" He turned to face her, placing her phone down deciding to broach that topic later. "You're nothing like what you described."

"I made you looked like a fucking idiot in your office earlier; told you about teaching your brother how to vape and drink; I partied practically all my life, and lost my virginity to my first fuck buddy. He wasn't even my boyfriend when we first had sex. I've never had a serious relationship and only fucked around. All I do is party and drink and social."

"You've got good grades, you're really accomplished." He countered.

"Good grades don't mean shit, Christian." She spat, "my father's an ex-Delta Force, and now a Private Investigator who earns a decent amount to support me. His wife, naïve and unworldly, a brunette who is jealous of me for no fucking reason and then there's her daughter. Don't get me started on her daughter. All my life, I've been trying to live up to my parents' standards. They liked perfect GPA so I got perfect GPA. They wanted me to study English Lit, so I fucking did. They wanted me to apply for grad school and study Criminology and Law, so I fucking applied. I've got good grades, so fucking what?"

He didn't know what to do with her at the moment. Most girls would cry but she wasn't most girls. When women cry, he knew drawing them into a hug would comfort them, but when Anastasia was lamenting about stuff, he had yet to figure out a way to calm her. He didn't even dare to reach out and pull her into his lap.

"I've told you about my formative years, and it wasn't nice. You've heard about my story during my teenage years, there were not pleasant either. I was abused when I was a kid with my birth mother in Detroit." He said, then proceeded to fill in the small details that he neglected the first time he told her about his past. "I turned to BDSM because I didn't want to be touched and I hate sentimental shits, so I never really kissed my subs or allowed them to cuddle. I've never really looked at them in the eyes. I had someone who would supply me the girls, she knew what I prefer and she knew about my contracts. You're right about BDSM, it is an escape for me, I am acting." He sighed, "I liked the persona that I'm in when I'm in a scene, because I feel so high up that no one could judge me. I crave control because that's the only way to avoid getting bullied."

"You have a pimp." She stressed this sentence, giving him an incredulous look that made him feel self-conscious suddenly. He nodded mutely. "What's her name?" She asked really not knowing why she did.

* * *

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 **X**


	8. SEVENTH HOUR

_**SEVENTH HOUR**_

 _"What's her name?"_

"Elena Lincoln."

"Did you two fuck?"

"Yes, once," he answered quickly.

"She came on to you?"

"More than once."

"And she was the one who supplied you with the submissives?"

"Yes," he nodded. "We didn't talk for a while and I have been avoiding her since we fucked." Anastasia winced at his narration but accepted the brutality because it was the truth. "Then, I ran into her in a club."

"Did you hook up with her when you met with her again?"

"No," shaking his head vigorously. "Not for her lack of trying, but she's just repulsing and she's… she's put me off of blondes. And, just to be clear, I didn't seek her out."

"Is she just your pimp?" She asked, somehow she could hear a sub-current in his pervious answers.

"She's my mom's friend," he sighed, avoiding to answer her directly, "none of my family other than my mom like her, but we all tolerate her because mom likes her."

Anastasia nodded, dropping the subject when she could feel just how uncomfortable Christian was with the subject.

"I'm not in contact with her anymore." He said seriously and promisingly, "I haven't been talking to her since before you and I met."

"I believe you." She whispered quietly but reassuringly. He nodded in appreciation, desperately wanting to know what was going through her mind, but in actuality, nothing was going through her mind, she wasn't at all bothered. It wouldn't be fair if she got all riled up by his past when she got a heck load herself.

"What's on your mind?"

"I think you should know a little bit more about me but I don't know where to start?"

"How about from the beginning?" He suggested.

"There is no beginning, Christian." She sighed.

"What do you mean?"

She was silent, he waited patiently for her to start talking, it was something that she would do before she drop something heavy on him. He'd learned that by now.

"I was born in Montesano and said that I grew up in LA. It's true but not the entire truth. My mother moved to Chicago when I was just a few years old. My dad was deployed. My parents weren't married at the time, and I overheard them talking about getting married after my dad was discharged." She scooted closer to Christian subconsciously as if seeking for support to get her through the rest of the story.

He wrapped his arm around her and let his palm rest on her flat yet toned stomach as she laid her head back onto his lap.

"We weren't even there for an entire year when we found ourselves in a _civil war_ between the gangs in our neighborhood. My mom wouldn't let me stay on my own, she was always with me and she would bring me everywhere with her. I wasn't enrolled to preschool and I wasn't old enough for elementary school yet, so I followed Carla everywhere. One time, we were on our way back when we walked past a bank, and a group of robbers attacked us. I remembering arguing with my mom about something insignificant, and I was being my stubborn self and being unreasonable." She took a shaky breath, trying not to let her guilt eat her up. "They were looking for valuables, and we didn't have much anyways. They were angered by their lack of gain, so they drew their knives, threatening us to find valuables to offer them. One tried to take me hostage but my mom stood in front of me to protect me and she got stabbed in the chest. The guys ran as if killing someone wasn't their intention in the first place." She huffed, "I called the ambulance but the 911 center took forever to cooperate and respond. The Chicago police department was less than cooperative. They thought I was just a small child so I was gullible. When they arrived my mom was long gone, so they did their standard procedure and let the case rest. At least they had the decency to call my dad."

Christian ran his fingers through her hair, knowing that it would calm her somewhat. He could relate to the anger and the frustration that she was feeling. It was a helpless feeling and he knew what it was like to lose faith in authority figures.

"I've harbored hatred for Chicago just like you hate Detroit. Because of the useless cunts they call police in Chicago, my mother died and since then, I felt that everyone in Chicago was useless and irresponsible."

"They took advantage of you. You were just a small child."

Anastasia shook her head, not wanting to talk or hear about it any longer. "My dad came and took me to LA. He then moved back to Montesano and married a woman named Jessica. Again, he knocked her up before they were married, and he only married her out of grief and thinking it was the right thing to do." She continued but then she heard a sharp intake of breath and felt him tensing beneath her. She looked up at him alarmed.

"You said she is brunette," he said almost timidly. "What's her maiden name?" He tensely asked.

"Jessica Solano. Her brother, publicly known as Miles, is a paparazzi that I'm friends with."

"Fuck," he spat out.

"Christian," she called but he didn't respond to her.

"What's the name of her daughter?"

"Christina, but she prefers Tina."

The color from Christian's face drained. "How old is the girl?"

"She's almost ten years younger than me." She answered, "Christian, tell me what's wrong? You're scaring me."

He closed his eyes and started to count in his eyes, his hand instinctively tightened around her. Taking her other hand in his, he started to rub circles on her skin with his thumb. Breathing out through his nose, he reopened his eyes.

"Can I tell you later?" His eyes pleading with pain and all she could do was nod.

"I don't want to think about what you're not telling me right now… so, can I show you something else?" She asked, slowly getting up from him. He nodded. "Can I borrow your computer or your phone?"

"Use my computer."

She nodded and went to fetch his computer which was back in his study. She silently berated herself for being insensitive. Of course a person as private as him wouldn't easily allow her to use his phone. She had even saw him flinch when she reached for his phone to check the time earlier when Elliot was there. That brief moment seemed to have imprinted in her mind, and she silently vowed to be more careful and sensitive around him. He needed time to adjust and she came onto him a little too strong.

"Just so you can know me better," she explained, handing him the laptop asking him to unlock it for her. "I told you that I've been a model since middle school, didn't I?" He nodded remembering the little hint. "You've also heard that Elliot's got pictures of me right?" He nodded again but this time the temperature in the room dropped a little along with his mood. "I'm going to show you the pictures that he was referring to that are online."

She reached for the computer and typed the name of the brand and clicked into their archive.

"It was a kids uniform brand." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm starting from my very first published pictures." She explained, "this was taken when I was in middle school and," she then searched up for an archived video, "the one in the wedding dress is me."

"You looked really cute back then. People would be blind not to choose you." He commented.

She didn't no how to respond to that so she remained silent and went for the next brand that she could remember. "I couldn't really remember what else I've done. I didn't really get much famous brands when I was in high school. I did a few Ray Bans here and there and a few watches but that was about it when I was in high school. I did a lot more when I was in UCLA."

Placing the computer back on to his lap, she took off her booties and curled up her legs so she could lean against Christian's side and lay her head on his shoulder as she watched him scroll through the archived galleries of her.

"Search for Neiman Marcus." She instructed, he was confused but didn't question. "Type in my first name into the search box." She then said.

"Is this you?" He pointed at the box where Anastasia was wearing the royal blue dress that she wore when she danced for him a few hours ago.

"Yep, that's me."

She replied, still looking at that picture and looked as he clicked into it, enlarging them to get a better look of her face.

"They should've done a better job at capturing the details of your face, but damn, the part that exposed your leg." He whistled, "you have it here don't you?"

"Yes, you bought them for me. No wait, your personal shopper bought them for me."

"That dress is hand picked by me, Anastasia." He corrected. "I knew it would look good on you, never knew you were the fucking model that was in this dress."

"You should be looking at those online shops more often and you might see my face more often." She suggested playfully. "Now, moving onto the next store." She paused dramatically, and he had already opened a new tab waiting for her to tell him the name.

"Agent Provocateur." She smirked when his eyes darkened as he typed in the address. "Naughty Lingerie." She told him of the next step.

"Fuck," he could feel himself getting hard by just looking at the pictures of her. "I'm going to buy them and you're going to wear them for me. This time, no one will be seeing you like that but me."

"I have them already," she informed him.

"I'm going to buy you some more, because fuck, if any fucker looking at this website can see you like this I deserve a private show."

"You're jealous."

"Fuck yes I am! You are so fucking sexy and hot in those lingerie." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She laid her hand on his thigh and started to inch up. "Don't you dare, Anastasia." He growled but that didn't stop her hand from wondering to his semi-erected dick.

"Go to Victoria's Secret's swimwear and sports section, you're going to be even harder, Grey." She bit her lips and giggled seductively as she watched his breathing changed under her touch. "I turned down the angel's offer." She added just to fill the quietness.

"Why?"

"They're too demanding. They think my muscle mass is too high and they required me to drop everything and promote their brand whenever asked, they also have a really high standard for public image and I'm just not going to commit to that."

"I think you're body's perfect."

"You're biased."

"Duh, of course I am, because you're mine." He turned his head sideways so he could plant a kiss to her forehead.

"Stop getting possessive and just learn to enjoy staring at models." She retracted her hand from his ever building bulge and rested atop his arm, her other hand reaching down and looping through his elbow resting on his forearm.

"I will enjoy a private show more," he said huskily. "Will you wear them for me when we go out?"

"I don't have the VS sets." She pointed out.

"I'm buying them for you."

"You mean you're buying them for _you_." She deadpanned.

"Same difference, they're going to end up on the floor anyways." He grinned back at her waiting for her final approval, in which she gave by nodding. "I love you," he declared and planting a loud kiss on her mouth, "thank you."

She just shook her head at his excitement and snuggled closer to him, watching him add everything she had modeled and more into the cart, the digits only increasing with every outfit he picked out. When he was busy browsing the stores of Agent Provocateur and Victoria's Secret, she reached for her phone to check out the new messages that she had received.

Replying to Elliot who sent her the video footage that Jason sent him earlier of her and Christian dancing and singing in the kitchen, she laughed as she saved it to her phone.

"What are you giggling at?"

She shoved the phone in his face as she continued to giggle. "El sent it to me. Apparently this is what Jason used to get him to come over unannounced." He smiled at the footage and then went back to lingerie shopping.

"Christian, I won't even have time to go through half of what you've got in there."

"You will, don't worry. With my help, you're going to be needing new collections very soon." He replied slyly, and she could feel her core getting wet once again.

She didn't dare reply fearing that it would expose just how much she was turned on by that comment he made. Biting her lip, she took his free hand and pressed his thumb onto her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Help you register a fingerprint on my phone so you can quit whining about how everyone else can look at my phone but you can't."

"What other privileges do I get?" He joked, taking the phone from her so he could input his fingerprint properly.

"You get to answer my phone," she shrugged, "you get to know the meaning behind my password."

"Doesn't everyone know about your password?"

"They can't remember it because to them it's meaningless."

"Oh?"

"The password is 647176." She said, "it sounds random but it's the hex color code for the color gray-blue. Don't believe me, look it up." She told him.

"I do believe you, but why?"

"I like this color. It's a shade of gray. Reminds me of you." She grinned at him to cover up the embarrassment and sudden shyness that she was feeling.

"Really, does it now." He leaned down slowly to kiss her.

…

"Ana, why aren't you back yet?" Ethan's just showered face appeared in front of the camera, it looked like he was still naked only wrapped in a towel. It was good that he was in his bachelor pad in Las Vegas. He had been there for a long while obtaining his doctorate in psychology at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Christian frowned when he saw the half-naked man on Anastasia's screen.

"What shit did Kate spew this time?" She groaned at the smirking blond who was shaking water out of his hair.

"She told me you got yourself a hot guy."

"I did," she answered, "and he's here." She tilted the camera angle, "well fuck, looks like he doesn't want to see you." She pursed her lips at Christian's stern expression. "When are you coming to Seattle?"

"Where are you going to be at for your birthday?"

"Probably in Berkeley. Why?"

"I'll be there for your birthday, duh. What do you mean why?"

"Oh," she thought for a moment then turned to Christian, "are you going to be there on my actual birthday? It's going to be on a weekday." She asked.

"Of course." He replied without looking up from his computer, "that's a given."

"Yeah, I'm going to be in Berkeley. Your sister's going to be brining her latest flavor, are you going to bring anyone?" She wiggled her eye brows suggestively.

"Clearly you've got your arm candy." He feigned sadness.

"Yep, I got mine, you might as well get yours. Seriously though, do you have anyone?"

"No, you know I don't do flavors."

"Only Kate." She smirked remembering what that they used to gang up on Kate when they were all in LA.

"We should meet up some time."

"I'm starting UCB next week, you still have a few years until you graduate." She pointed out, "unless you can come see me regularly I don't think Christian would want me to go to Las Vegas on a regular basis. Besides, I'm sure you remember what happened last time we were in Vegas." She gave him a pointed look and his sighed remembering the time.

"Are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend or not?" Ethan pressed.

"Not over the phone with your naked ass on display, you'll have to meet him on my birthday." She winked teasingly and he groaned. "And you better bring someone there for me to judge, and find someone smarter this time, yeah?" She demanded.

"Yes ma'am." He sulked. "Kate sounded quite serious about this guy that she's seeing though."

"Yeah, she is. He's sticking around for a while I guess." She shrugged.

"What are you going to do for your birthday? Another party to get everyone else drunk?" He asked, and she could feel Christian tensing behind her.

"No, no drinking. I'm not even thinking of a party, I don't want to invite too many people. Just a few closer friends."

"Can I give you a suggestion though?"

"Sure," she honestly didn't think that far ahead about her birthday plans just yet. She would usually host a party but since she had made a point of reducing her partying and drinking hours to Christian, she thought she could do something different this year in a more intimate setting. She thought about going to Montesano to celebrate it with her father, but it would be weird since she hadn't celebrated her actual birthday with him for a very long time and they would usually celebrate it when they went out hunting.

"Go karting."

"Karting?"

"Yes, that way booze won't be involved. You hated it when people drunk drive, calling them irresponsible bastards."

"Yeah, something like that."

"So, karting? It'll be fun, and everyone will be sober."

"Sounds like a good idea actually. I'll think about it."

…

"Who is that guy?"

"A beach party boy. He's Kate's older brother. He's almost four years older than me." Anastasia replied evasively, knowing that she had opened another can of worms. "That's all I'm telling you for now. You can do a background check on him if you're really insecure, but I promise you will know all about my colorful past eventually and gradually."

"Anastasia," he glared at her.

"Not now, please." She begged, "you will know everything about me, past and present but please, not now. You're not going to like it."

"You two clearly sound like you were more than friends with each other." He observed but she didn't respond to his observation anyway shape or form she just laid there and scrolled through her phone mindlessly. "And, what happened in Las Vegas?"

"Christian," she sighed defeatedly. "Please?"

He shut his laptop and placed on to the coffee table in front of him, exhaling a huge puff of air, he turned to her.

"Do you know that your PA is getting married?" She asked with her face still looking at the screen and her fingers typing words of congratulations.

"No, when?" He asked, taking the phone from her just after she finished typing. "Why are you talking to Barney Sullivan?"

"He's Andrea's fiancé now."

"What?" He exclaimed, snatching her phone from her hand.

He squinted at the screen in front of him, obviously not reading the text that he sent because the words 'she said yes' was just too obvious for him to not see.

"Bitch, you blind?" She said not even realizing what she had just called him, getting up from her previous position to see what was taking him so long to see the three words attached to the pictures that he sent through. She tentatively darted her eyes between him and the picture on display on the screen, trying to gauge his mood.

"He took pictures of you?"

 _Someone must've been doing something behind her back, judging from subtle change of looks on her face._

 _"Someone's taking a picture of me, aren't they?" She asked dully, startling Andrea as she snapped her eyes back to her. "And he's your boyfriend?" She asked after briefly darting her eyes to her bare fingers._

 _"Ana, please..." Andrea stuttered._

 _"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She assured, patting her shoulder. "Is he still taking pics?" Andrea nodded nervously. "Cool," she said turning only her head and holding up her middle finger that was barely out of the sleeves of her oversized gray jacket. The hand blocked the most of her face. Knowing that he had already taken that picture, she changed a pose and turning to face him._

 _The guy who was taking the picture stopped abruptly and for a moment she thought Christian was walking out of his office and right into the camera._

 _"Sorry," the guy dropped the phone, "do you want me to delete them?" He asked nervously as he approached Anastasia with the phone in his hand._

 _"You stopped only because you realized that I've noticed?" Anastasia asked and the guy nodded. "Don't worry, man." She said, patting him on the shoulder. "You can take more if you want, I don't mind. I can pose for you." She offered, "stop acting so tense, Grey isn't going to come out any time soon, bro."_

 _Andrea accidentally let a giggle slip out of her mouth but quickly covered. Anastasia turned back to the assistant and then to the guy._

 _"Are you planning on proposing soon?" She leaned down slightly to whisper in the guy's face. He nodded looking even more nervous. "Stop worrying your ass off, she's going to say yes." She slapped his shoulder once again and straightened up. "Hi, I'm Ana, the new hire." She introduced herself, sticking her hand out for him to shake. He glanced at his girlfriend wondering just how much truth could come out of this girl's mouth. "You're Barney, Andrea's boyfriend friend, I know." She grinned at his even paler face. "As long as you told HR about it, Grey won't stand a leg. Don't worry about him."_

 _"And, What do you do here?" He asked curiously, slightly easing around her now._

 _"I'm the supervisor," she replied nonchalantly and Andrea could only look away to avoid laughing at the comical scene in front of her._

 _"Of what?"_

 _"Of Christian Grey. Like I just instructed him to go back to work. You can ask Andrea if you don't believe me." Ana continued her act._

 _"No, you look familiar."_

 _"Oh, really? I'm sure a lot of people look like me. I've got a pretty ordinary face."_

 _"You've got a pretty fact." He winked._

 _"Girlfriend here, Sullivan." Ana cleared her throat pretentiously and pointed at Andrea behind her desk with her thumb._

 _"Oh, don't worry about her, we have a very chill and open relationship."_

 _"How open?"_

 _"Open enough to allow the other to flirt when we are both present."_

 _"That's great, that means I can hit on Andrea. Right?" She jested._

 _"Are you gay?" He blurted out._

 _"No, I'm bi." She shrugged indifferently, making Andrea burst out laughing, unable to hold back any longer._

"You're going to be the biggest distraction in my workplace, Miss Steele." He sighed after hearing the recount of her time in his office.

"Gimme back my phone," she ordered, "or you can do it."

"Do what?"

"Ask him to show me the ring."

He typed and they waited for the response.

"Also, tell him congratulations." Anastasia added when they were waiting for him to reply with a picture of the ring. He eyed her with a weird look, "what? Fine, I'll do it for you."

 _The Boss says Congratulations!_

She typed and pressed send.

"What's this?" Christian caught her hand before it fell back to the side after handing her phone to him. Looking at the middle finger on her right hand, for the first time, he found something that was shiny, it was the thing that was reflecting light in Barney's picture.

"A ring." She deadpanned, "a platinum one to be specific."

"Who gave you this?"

"Um… a guy?"

"When?"

"Really long time ago. When we broke up. Technically we never dated." She answered, knowing that he wouldn't be happy about his observation. "The ring meant nothing to me, okay. He gave it to me as a parting gift because we watched an agent film and I bet him that I'd open a bottle of beer with a ring, and he said if I did he would buy me a ring, so I did and he bought me one." She explained, roughly recounting the story of her years in high school and university.

"Surely you were more than friends with him."

"We were." She admitted, "but we weren't dating. I wasn't into him romantically."

"Why are you still wearing it?" He sighed, taking off the plain platinum ring off of her finger to examine it. While he didn't like to think of settling down or marriage or any sort of commitment, he definitely didn't like the idea of some other fucker putting a ring on Anastasia's finger.

"To show-off. I showed off to Elliot the first time we met. He asked about the ring so I demonstrated its use."

"How come I've never noticed it?"

"I never wear it around you." She stated, "fuck, now I sound like a serial adulteress."

"Yeah, you do. No kidding." He scoffed, and she bit back her countering remarks. "Why are you wearing it today then?"

"Because I thought I'd be leaving."

"You've been wearing this since after you danced, and I never noticed?" He asked in disbelief.

"Actually, yes." She nodded and didn't elaborate. All this talk about the ring made her recalled to a moment in her life that she desperately wanted to forget. Turning away from their conversation, she looked away from the ring and willed herself to not think about it, for once she was thankful for Christian for interrupting her thoughts.

"Barney called you a liar, why?" He asked, reading through their chat history.

"Huh?" She looked at the place he was referring to. "Oh, I told him that I was newly hired to overlook the CEO's work and he thought I'm some high authority, and felt really bad about taking pictures of me because other people told him that you brought a girl in today."

"Poor guy," he muttered with a smile.

"He thought I looked familiar," she begun, "which means, either he used to be in the same school that I went to, which was doubtful, or he likes to look at woman's clothes or he looked at Instagram way too often." She mused out loud.

"Wait, here's Andrea." Christian pulled out his phone before he could even think about what she had said to him.

Anastasia silenced herself and waited for him to take the call.

"Grey," he answered, putting her on speaker.

"Mr Grey," she greeted back.

"Congratulations, Miss Parker." Anastasia interrupted.

"Congratulations, Andrea." Christian repeated.

"Thank you!" She nearly squealed back, "did you know about the proposal, Ana? Barney said you did."

"Yeah, I did." Anastasia shrugged. "The guy was sweating bullets around you earlier, so it wasn't hard to guess."

"You knew?" Christian swatted Anastasia on her ass.

"Ow, fuck you, Grey." She yelped.

"That's three times now." He whispered so that Andrea wouldn't hear the exchange.

"I'm sorry, Andrea, your boss is a huge pain in the ass. I pity you for having to put up with him for so long. I hope he pays you well and if you're here to invite him to your wedding, he'll be saving that date for you. It's the least he can do," she said to the phone.

"Mr Grey?" Andrea asked, knowing that the man would still be on the phone.

"We'd love to attend, Andrea. I'm bringing Anastasia if you'll have her." He replied.

"She's my girl, she'll definitely have me." Anastasia stuck out her tongue playfully. "What he means is that," she told Andrea, "you and Barney can have an extensive honeymoon."

"I'll find you an assistant during my absence, Mr Grey." Andrea promised.

"I'm sure Anastasia can step in." Christian jested, wanting to pull his girl into everything he disliked doing so that at least he got company.

"No, Anastasia cannot, she will be in school partying, drinking, doing drugs and vaping." Anastasia deadpanned which earned her a hard pinch on her bum with the hand that was still resting atop her ass from Grey, "wait, when is your wedding?" She asked, because on second thought, she might have time to help out.

"Next spring. You'll be on your Spring Break, I checked so that you can attend." Andrea replied with a giggle, really thinking Anastasia was joking.

"Yeah, I'll be there, and sure, I can step in. How long will your honeymoon be?" She asked out of curiosity.

"A week, maybe?"

"Sure," she replied, "I'll be with the Boss. You'll have to train me with whatever that I need to learn though. I'm sure I'll be a regular visitor of Grey House in the future since Christian would probably demand me to fly back whenever I can."

"Great!" Andrea said cheerfully, "oh and Barney here wants to tell you that he's hurt by you because you lied to him."

"Aww… he'll be fine, I told him that you'll say yes after all. Look, I gotta go now, your Boss isn't an easy man to handle, and he's kind of getting impatient, so congratulations and see you."

When they got off the phone, Christian placed it next to his computer atop the coffee table and turned to her.

"Seems like you've been planting ideas into the heads of my executive staff."

"I have? I wasn't aware of it."

"Sure you aren't," he laughed, "if my company becomes this informal bubbly mess, I'm going to hold you responsible."

"Because I just give out this informal vibe," she said, flipping her hair dramatically.

"Are these the photos?" He asked scrolling through her phone and from the look on his face it looked like he had found the album containing her nude pictures. She leaned over and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah," she replied, for the first time seeing just how many she actually had taken.

"Why do you have them?" He asked, there were of her in lingerie or very exposing clothings but never one fully uncovered, her tits and pussy would at least be covered either by her hand or the angle of the camera, there were only few of her in bikinis and a lot of others of her in sports bra and a bikini panties.

She remembered clearly that pictures of her in sports bra and whatever she wore below her waist would get the boys in her school swooning and wolf-whistling. Whenever friends of hers posted on Instagram, the comments would always be hashtag Anastasia Steele and abs all in capital letters. She was well aware of her celebrity status on Instagram where she had her own hashtag because she didn't have her own account.

…

"I have something I have to talk to you about," he said all of a sudden, removing her from his shoulder, he stood up and headed toward his study. Her stomach dropped, she knew what was coming and that reminded her of her own blood-stained panties. He would have to know about it sooner or later.

When he came back and retook the seat next to her, he didn't pull her back to him, which made her even more nervous.

"What's this supposed to mean?" He showed her the contents in his hands — the keys to the red Audi A3, and the note that she left.

She glanced at the items and sighed. "My original plan was to take every clothes that you gave me and sell them. Since it was in the contract that the submissive takes everything away, it's a requirement. So, I was going to sell every clothes but there's nothing I can do about a car. I can't maintain it because I'm not going to be in Washington State, and I have a car in California so I won't need it, that's why I said I'm returning it."

"So, it's not because you can't afford to take care of it," he stressed, "because that can be easily taken care of."

"I can afford to take care of a car, I did save up some dollars through my modeling career." She admitted. "I just didn't want it; it reminds me of the time that I was a submissive."

"You didn't like the time?"

"I liked it, but I don't like being a submissive and I don't like to be reminded about it constantly. I know that every one of your subs has one so I guess I just wanted to be different. Besides, I plan on getting rid of anything that's going to remind me of you. I envisioned you and treated you as a summer fling when you first approached me." She confessed.

"Do you want more with me?"

"Yes, but if you didn't ask for this twenty-four hour extension, then I won't be looking for more than a fling with you."

"You need a car now, don't you?"

"No."

"You will need one in Seattle, since you're going to be coming back regularly now that you've decided to date me." He gave her a look that challenged her to argue, and she knew better than to actually take up that challenge, so she bit her tongue.

"Yes, it will be more convenient since I'm driving Kate's for now."

"Good," he smiled, feeling satisfied that he had gotten this through with her. "Now, I know you don't want that A3, what car do you want?"

"I can buy my own car, Christian."

"I know."

"Then, let me buy it."

"I want to buy it for you."

She sighed at his sincerity and relented.

"Can you just trade the A3 for a black one?"

"You don't want a different one?" He asked somewhat surprised.

"Well…" she hesitated, "I want your R8, will you give it to me?" She batted her eyelashes at him, not expecting any sort of answer from him apart from a snort.

"You can have a sports car but do you want a black A3?"

"I'm not getting two cars, Christian." She protested.

"How about a blue A3?"

"To separate it from your fleet?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, mine are all the same color. Besides, it's safer for you to have a lighter color."

"It's not necessary, you bought the car after all, might as well make it fit your fleet of cars."

"Ana, your safety is my greatest concern." He repeated as if it was his mantra.

"Okay," she conceded, "a gray one."

"Blue," he regurgitated.

"I don't want a light color, Christian." She argued, "it won't fit your style either."

"I don't care if it fits me or not, it's your car, Ana."

"Still, can we agree on a shade of gray?" She asked negotiating, "open up the website and I will tell you which color I want and you can see if it's to your standard."

He unlocked his phone and went to the website that he had been on way too many times.

"Monsoon Gray metallic. Good enough?" She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. Turning his head to look at her expression, he couldn't resist the way she was looking at him, it was too fucking adorable. Leaning over and planting a proper kiss on her mouth, he nodded in approval.

"I'll get the red one replaced for this." He told her as he shot a text to Taylor.

"By the way," she leaned closer to him, and this coquettish act told him that she was going to be asking for something that he probably wouldn't be agreeing to.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Speaking of cars," she gripped on to his arm and rested her chin on his shoulder, making sure that she didn't touch him in the areas that he had told her to avoid. He noticed it so he interrupted.

"I don't have haphephobia, I just don't like to be touched by people I don't like."

"You gave me the impression that you can't be touched. You would flinch whenever I accidentally touch you, or sometimes shiver."

"I liked your touch, it's just that sometimes your touch startled me." He explained. "You can touch me, I like you enough." He added with a playful wink.

"You better, or else I'd be thinking I got tricked into this twenty-four hour bullshit." She proceeded to wrap her arms around his upper torso and rested her cheek against his chest.

"You were saying before I rudely interrupted you?" He prompted.

"Ah yes, I want to gamble with you."

"Gamble?"

"Well, more like bet?" She explained still sounding unsure.

"I'm listening," he encouraged.

"Let's play Monopoly," her smile widened when she saw the smirk on his face that she had anticipated. "If I win, you're going to loan me your R8 indefinitely." His jaw dropped at that request but let her finished. "If you win, you get to dress me when we go to the GEH party."

"That's not good enough," he shook his head, "because I'm not a billionaire for no reason. You're not going to win with me." He stated.

"Never say never, Grey." She threw his words back at him. "Fine, what's your deal?"

"I'll give you my R8 if you win me," he restated, "and if I win…" he paused to think of something that he really wanted from her. "You'll let me spank you."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	9. EIGHTH HOUR

_**EIGHTH HOUR**_

 _"You'll let me spank you."_

The room fell silence. Out of all things, this was the last that she thought he would want.

"Punishment?"

"Pleasure." He smirked back. "We're not having sex but spanking you will just rile you up, so when we do have sex at the end of tomorrow, it's going to be so much more exciting." He explained when he saw the confusion on her face.

"Fuck you!" She protested loudly.

"Okay, I'll give you a second choice." He placated, she stared at him cautiously and waited for him to keep talking. "I get to put a ring on your finger."

"What. The. Fuck?" She got each word out slowly just so that her mouth wouldn't hang open.

"I don't like you wearing a ring from another man." He explained with a shrug, "you know I'm possessive and jealous."

"You want to replace this ring?"

"I don't have to replace it, you can just wear it on another finger."

"What's this ring going to mean then?"

He shrugged, really hadn't thought of that part yet, "a promise ring?"

"Fuck no!" She protested because her mind went to a promise for marriage.

He looked away just to hide the hurt in his eyes at the cruel rejection.

"Do you already have a ring for me?" She asked quietly knowing that her outburst stung, and she knew he didn't like to be rejected because no one does. He nodded solemnly, fearing that he would get yelled at again. "How about," she proposed, "we make that ring a promise ring, signaling our pact. The one we made where we promised each other that we wouldn't go back to our old lifestyle if we date."

"I like that idea."

She swallowed and nodded nervously. Silence fell between them, and it wasn't exactly comfortable.

"Come on, make up your mind. We have to sleep early tonight, we're going to have a very early morning." He tried to lighten up the mood with a light tone, but it only distracted her and not really changed anything about the atmosphere.

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

"It's a surprise."

"It better be good since you're going to be dragging me out of bed in the morning."

"I know my girl isn't a morning person."

"I'm far from a morning person, I usually take my run at midnight." She deadpanned.

"That's interesting, I might have to think of ways to get you to wake up in the future then."

"Perks of sleeping with you?"

"Perks of sleeping next to me." He corrected. "By the way, I want to ask you something, I've been wanting to ask about it for a very long time now."

"Yeah?"

"Your tattoo."

"What about it?" She asked.

"Just tell me about it." He requested.

"Okay… uh…" she thought for a while about where to start and what to reveal because she knew he wouldn't like her answer much. "You don't like tattoos do you?"

"No, I never said that. I'm just very curious. That's your only one right?"

"Yes. Mine is a big one. I got it with Ethan, the guy I was video calling got something small and I got this." She answered, "we didn't get matching ones but I did help him choose what he was getting."

"What is yours?"

"It's… okay, there was a time when I was into goth and emo shit. I don't regret my tattoo but I'm not sure a goody-goody like you will like it."

"Just spit it out, Anastasia." He rolled his eyes at her subtle jab. "I'm far from a prude." He added.

"You've seen it before," she continued to avoid telling him directly.

"I did, and it's sometimes a little disturbing when I take you from behind. It's a gigantic tattoo for me, and I'm not sure I enjoy looking at it when I fuck you."

"Is that why you would always tell me to lay on my back?"

"Yes, now tell me about your tattoo and stop avoiding the answer."

She was silence for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak. "It's Muerte or Death in Spanish. The original design had the face of Death with actual lips and eyes but I opted out, not wanting a face on my back, so I told them to change it to a cloak covered skull that came out of a black rose."

"I really don't like it."

"I know you don't, but I can't do anything about it." She answered helplessly, "if you still want to take me from behind, Christian, you might have to get me to put some makeup on there to cover it up when we have sex."

"Turn around," he commanded, and when she did, he took off the right side of her jacket and lifted up her tank top revealing the extension of the smoke. His finger traced the tattoo that was taking up the whole of her upper right arm. "I'll be fine. I'll get over it." He murmured, trying to reassure himself, willing himself to get over the picture in front of him and learn to appreciate the ink-print like a piece of artwork. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the design suited this girl.

"Why this design?"

"I thought about getting something deep and meaningful but it doesn't suit me and I felt stupid for even thinking about inking someone's name on me. I don't want someone's name permanently on me, so I chose this because, well, it's just… me?"

"It's dark…" he commented.

"I… like dark shits…" she admitted slowly. "I may not look like one but I at least like the idea of dark, dangerous and reckless stuff. I think you've got an idea already."

"From your stories, yes. In hindsight, I'm not really surprised that you've got this as your tattoo." He mused out loud, "what if, say you found the one, will you ever get his name printed on you?" He asked, silently hoping that she wouldn't leave him just yet.

"I'd say no. Right now, I think it's a stupid idea. I'm a realist, you know that. I fantasize but never expect it to come true so I never really do anything about my fantasies. Then again, I've never actually thought about settling down. I'm fine with a boyfriend but I don't exactly want to walk down the aisle just yet."

"I like being a bachelor, too."

After staring at each other for the longest time, she said.

"Deal."

"What?"

"I will agree to your deal. We will play Monopoly, and if I win, I get your R8 and the replaced A3; if I lose, you get to spank me and give me a ring." She reiterated the terms of the deal, adding more conditions to it than he had originally planned. It was going to be a huge gamble, they both had something to lose.

…

"Tell me about your favorite submissive."

Christian almost dropped the glasses that he was taking to the kitchen when he heard that request coming from behind him. His whole body froze and momentarily, his mind also stopped.

"I just want to know more about you, Christian." She explained.

"I'm nothing like the person I was when I'm with you, Ana."

"Still, I'd like to get to know you. If we are going to pursue a relationship, we're bound to share about shits that we don't want to share with each other about our pasts. From what I've learned so far, I think it's fair to say that we both had a pretty colorful past." She looked at him, waiting for him to react; he nodded in agreement. "So, if we don't want our fucked up past to smack us square in our faces, we'd better hear them from each other than from a third person."

He nodded mutedly, again. His mind racing through the possible consequences. It was easier said than done. He wanted a relationship with her and he knew honesty was key, but at the same time, he wasn't at all keen on sharing his past sexual relationship experiences with her. He knew his previous submissives would abide by their contracts and honor his NDA, but he wasn't sure if his ex-pimp would.

Then again, from the background check he had on her, there really wasn't much about her that was revealed, it was just the basics. Too basic for him to even make a judgement of her.

Placing the wine glasses into the sink and the empty bottle on the kitchen counter, he sighed and turned back to the couch where she was still half lying on.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, pursing her lips. "What does she look like? How did you two meet? Why did it end? Why was she your favorite? Just, tell me about her. Anything about her. I'm still trying to get to know you."

"She is brunette but she had once dyed it more brown thinking that I'd prefer her looking more like a "natural brunette". I don't know what that means, so don't look at me with that confused face." She nodded for him to continue, letting go of that small detail since she had ombré-dyed hair in gray and now the tip of her hair was bleach as the colorings had started to wear off. "She was outspoken but an introvert unlike you."

"Gee, thanks for the jab, baby."

"She has brown eyes, which most of my submissives do." He continued, giving her electric blue ones a pointed look when he talked about eye colors, thinking that he had finally had a favorite pair of eyes to brag about.

She slitted her eyes at him when he seemed to gotten lost in her bright sapphire orbs under the light.

Snapping out of his trance, he continued, offering her an apologetic smile. "She's outspoken but she is the best submissive that any Dominant could ask for." Anastasia tried to keep the shudder out of her as she didn't want him to see that it bothered her a little, nor did she want to admit that she was affected by the thought of him describing his favorite sex toy to her.

"Keep going. What made her the best?" She prompted, she was already getting slightly uncomfortable but she knew it would come up sooner or later, and when it was time for him to hear about her past, he'd probably throw a fit.

"She was recommended by Elena," he somewhat expected her to make a face when he mentioned the name, but surprisingly, she didn't. So, he kept going. "I made sure that she wasn't connected to Elena in any way shape or form before I interviewed her," he didn't know why he felt the need to explain that he had taken every precaution possible to avoid being in the spot where she would have any leverage over him.

"What's her name?"

"Leila Williams."

"Never heard of her."

"Of course you've never heard of her." He scoffed.

"That's debatable," she argued, "for example, I saw a 'Claire McKinley' as one of the names for your video." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And, I just happen to know one with that name, she looked exactly like the one I saw in the video." She stated, which made Christian felt a sense of uneasiness.

 _This girl probably knows more people as friends or acquaintances than I do as business people._ He thought to himself, it was unsettling and even dangerous.

"Also," she continued, and the feeling of unease only increased as she continued, making him want to continue his recount of his 'favorite' ex-submissive even more. "I saw this other girl's video that I thought she looked really familiar, but I can't quite remember where I've seen her. I think it was Jessica's video that I saw." He sucked in a breath, because this confession just confirmed something for him, something that he dreaded to be confirmed.

"I get it," he interjected just so that she wouldn't blurt out more people that she was familiar with that he had fucked. "You know a lot of people, you're this popular party girl that everyone likes. I live in a small circle and you have a wide range of friends. Please, stop providing any more examples, I'd like to keep my past separated from my future."

"In that case, you're lucky that I'm not exactly friends with them. I'm only friends with Hannah, who is Claire's best friend." She shrugged as if that piece of information didn't complicate matters for him.

"Seems like I need to figure out just how popular you are in the society."

"Lu- fuck!" She clammed her mouth shut as quick as she opened them to respond to his murmuring. "Forget about it." She dismissed it quickly.

"Whatever it is, Anastasia, you're bound to tell me."

"Is it really necessary though?" She wondered out loud.

"Don't filter anything out when you tell me about your history, because whether it's necessary or not, I plan on staying with you. Our relationship won't have an expiration date, it won't be based on a contract and there won't be rules. So, please, let's just start with a clean slate and promise one another from the beginning that there will be no secrets between us."

"You won't keep information from me because you think I don't need to know them and I won't keep things from my past from you?" She asked for clarification.

"Precisely," he nodded.

"Cool." She agreed quickly, "but I suggest you take small doses of my past at each given opportunity because I'm not sure you'll take it well if I dump all of them on you, besides it'll be too long and complicated." He nodded in understanding, dreading to hear about her stories even more. "Now, I believe you were telling me about your time with this Miss Leila Williams."

"As I've said, we met through Elena but that's all she's ever involved. Elena introduced us, and I interviewed her after a thorough background check. She seemed like my style and suited my taste back then, so I signed the contract with her. Had her signed an NDA and told her up front that it would only ever be sex. She could be challenging at times and she would gauge my mood to behave. So, if she thought I was in a good mood, she would defy me just to get me to punish her knowing that she wouldn't get a heavy punishment since I was in a good mood. If I was desperately in need of a release, she would act all submissive and obey to my every command."

She nodded, finally understanding just why she was his favorite. She couldn't quite put words on to the type that he liked but she could definitely identify one when she saw one. Anastasia was nothing like the girl he described as being the perfect sub. For all intents and purposes, she would never take any time to even think about gauging another person's mood. She believed that if there was something that was bothersome for someone, they should just voice it out or do something about it to change the situation. She thought people shouldn't be passive about their emotions, they shouldn't wait for another person to discover that they were upset.

It was something she couldn't understand and something she didn't think she would ever do. As much as she cared and loved someone, she wouldn't reach out just because they looked distressed, because she had more than enough experience of getting rejected when she reached out thinking they needed comfort.

"I know it's not who you are, and I'm not asking you to change. I like you just the way you are, Anastasia." He said, as if reading her mind even though she tried to keep it impassive and maintain a neutral expression. "I know it's hard for you to hear it, and not to be an asshole or anything, but you kinda asked for it." He sighed, rubbing his face as he observed the emotions that were flashing through her eyes. She wasn't aware of the fact that he could read her mind through her eyes just like she could through his.

"No, you're right, I did ask for it, but it'll probably be even harder for you to listen to mine." She looked away, her voice suddenly not sounding at all confident.

"Hey," he called, "we'll deal with it when we get to it. Yeah?"

"I'm not upset, per se." She leaned forward so her forehead was resting against his shoulder. "I'll admit it's a little disturbing to know that I can never be a submissive like Leila, but the reason why I'm not the jealous type is because I believe that if you truly love me like you say you do, then at the end of the day, you'll always come back to me; just like I do you."

He moved his arms so he could hold her, but she pushed herself up the moment his hand started to go around her. Feeling dejected, he looked at her, hoping to find answers to the sudden rejection from the windows to her heart.

"I want you to tell me how you two ended, and I think it'll be weird if you're cuddling me while telling me about your ex." She explained. It was a fair explanation to him, though he still didn't like to be rejected, especially by her.

Nodding, he let his hand linger on her knee which was closest to him. "To put it simply, I ended that contract because she fell for me and was acting like I'm her boyfriend. Although, she didn't undermine me like the first few or accuse me of abusing them emotionally by neglecting them, but she did attempted to get into my space without permission. I caught her snooping around and snooping into my bedroom several times. So, I ended."

"You didn't want to."

"Not really, because her limits really fitted mine." Anastasia tried not to cringe at the thought of the girl having the same sexual cravings at him, too similar that he even deemed fitting. She knew he was just being honest and she couldn't blame him for it. "I'm glad that I did though."

His blissful gaze was met with her adorable looking confusion with her head tilted to the side, blinking at him appearing to be too innocent that it almost seemed unreal.

"Because I met you," he smiled, lifting up her chin, leaning forward and planted a soft, lingering kiss on her puckered lips. "I'll never regret meeting you, and I'll never regret every making you sub for me. Albeit your terrible skills, I'll say that you really are experienced. I take back my words," he added, "you are more than innocent."

…

"Can we play it on the bed?"

Christian rolled his eyes at her special request but got up and went to his media room to retrieve the game that he hadn't touched since forever. He quickly re-emerged from the room and saw that she was still on the couch.

"What are you waiting for?" He questioned.

"Wait, I thought you didn't agree."

"C'mon, before I change my mind." He chuckled when she leapt down from the couch and rushed to him, entering his room before him and jumped on to his bed. All he did was laugh softly at her eagerness. "We have to make it quick though, because we really need to get up very early in the morning."

"Are you planning for us to go rob the bank or something?" She asked him skeptically.

"Baby, I don't think I need to rob the bank." He laughed at her failed attempt to tease his surprise. "My financial advisor predicted that I'd be hitting the trillion mark within the next three to four years."

"Still quite a while, who knows if you're getting desperate or not." She shrugged in an attempt to save herself so she wouldn't need to admit defeat at her bad attempt.

"Believe whatever you want, baby." He smirked, laying out the content in the game box onto his bed. This would be the first time that he had done something other than sleep or work on his bed.

"I love your bed," she rolled around in his gigantic bed on top of the cover as he continued to set everything up. "I might just have to kick you out so I can have this to myself."

"Maybe we can share," he suggested, the sexual innuendo not lost in the four little words.

"Maybe," she giggled slightly, "don't blame me if you find yourself on the floor the next morning though."

"I think you might be the one to end up on the floor, you can't win a fight against me."

"Is that a challenge I'm hearing, because you can go ask Luke and Belinda or your brother just how much I can fight." She raised an eyebrow, "you'll learn it the hard way that I fight just as well in my sleep than when I am conscious." She smirked, satisfied that he didn't respond.

"Stop rolling around, you're going to ruin everything." He whined at her.

"Christian Grey, did you just whine at me."

"What if I just did?" He said defiantly like a petulant little boy.

"You are so cute," she scrunched up her nose to fight the grin that was going to stretch her mouth. Silently laughing at his adorableness, she sat up and scooted to the board with the players already chosen and placed at the start. "You said we need to sleep early and I'm saying that I need to show you a video before we go to bed," she started and added on second thought, "to sleep." Giving him a pointed look, she paused for a moment to catch up on what she was going to talk about.

"Just for tonight," he muttered with a shrug, "it's going to change. The next time we sleep together, it's not going to be just sleep anymore. Consider yourself warned, baby." He said a little bit louder this time.

"Promises, promises," she sang, completely paying no attention to his alleged threat. "As I was saying, I need to show you a video before we go to bed, and we have to get up early, so let's say we play for time."

He looked confused for a moment but soon understood, still, she elaborated.

"It's 10:47 pm right now," she said, looking at the alarm clock on the night stand, "say we play till 11:17 pm. Half an hour. Then whoever is the richest wins?" Cocking her head to the side, she stared at him with kind, gentle eyes and waited for his answer.

"Sounds good," he shrugged indifferently, "guess I will have to take it seriously then," he said to himself but also intended to let Anastasia hear it just to rile her up and to show his arrogance. "We need to go to sleep at half past eleven. At least not coming up with new stuff to entertain ourselves and really try to fall a sleep at around that time." He informed and she nodded in agreement.

"The video won't take long, unless you've got comments to make." She gave him a cheeky grin before turning to the board game in between them. "Who's going to start?"

…

"I bought that place, it's mine!" She protested, "Christian, pay up your fee." She demanded, holding her hand out and waiting for him to count up the money for her richest property on the map. "You have to pay me, it's my most valuable property!"

Christian, on the other hand was taking his own sweet time studying the card that had the price that he should pay. He looked at the board and looked back at the card. Without saying another word, he counted the money and finally gave her the money along with the information card.

"I didn't know businessman can be such a stuck-up prick." She mumbled under her breath as she separated her cash into different piles on her side.

"A businessman should always know the details of their every transaction," he smirked at her, then nudging the dice to her telling her that it was her turn. "C'mon. Roll your dice."

She did and moved her plastic figure along, stopping at the only empty property that hadn't been bought. Looking at the time and then at her assets, she hesitated.

"Stop looking at the time and just buy it. The more you own the more you invest, and the more you invested the more chances you'll get to rob me of my money." He taunted, having no idea why he really wanted her to buy it. "Just decide, please. Stop stalling time."

"It's almost time, and I'm thinking how we're going to measure our wealth. We did say whoever is the richest wins."

"We did." He agreed, "it's fifteen past right now, so quickly make your decision, and we'll decide how we're going to measure this."

"I thought you're going to be suggesting some fancy way that you business people do."

"We business people have a hell lot more to consider," he grinned. "It's too easy to even involve elite people like me."

"Cocky much, Mr Grey?"

"Hmm… not cocky enough." He winked.

"Will you teach me stuff about business?" She asked out of the blue, taking cash out of her stack in silence and paying off the price for the land.

"If you're interested." He nodded, surprised by her question and her seriousness. She seemed genuinely interested and he knew she wasn't the kind to do something and quit half-assed.

"I wanted to be a simultaneous interpreter, but that Euro tour proved that I only have the ability to translate in the loose sense. I can't even stick to the original meaning."

"You want to be a professional?"

"I thought about working for the UN, they pay good money."

"I also pay good money, will you come work for me?"

"That's why I asked you to teach me, because I want to sound professional when I translate. I just hope I have the ability to become a simultaneous interpreter."

"I believe you can be one if you really work towards that goal. I really don't know about you and foreign languages but I'm here if you want to speak French."

"You speak French?"

"Fluently."

"Shit, that must've sound sexy coming from your mouth."

"Do you want me to speak French with you?"

She grinned but shook her head in the end. "We'll see."

"So, you bought that land, huh?" He chuckled lightly, pointing at the newly added card to her property list.

"Apparently," she shrugged, checking the time once again. "Oh, it's seventeen now, we should start adding up our money."

"You calculate it." He pulled his cards together and piled it next to her.

"Are you sure you're going to trust an English Lit major to calculate your assets?"

"You're good with numbers, I know it because I know you're good with statistics." He smirked.

"How did you know that?"

"Your edit on the document that you proofread for Andrea," he explained like it was painfully obvious, "I saw your detailed notes on the statistical analysis section, and whether you're doing this on purpose or unintentionally, but you've brought up a new method and I actually thought about asking you to help with it."

"You saw that?" Her eyes widened, there she thought he was only hovering behind her and staring at her not at the content in her hands. Since they left practically right after she finished, she thought he wasn't going to read the document until it was officially on his desk handed in by Andrea.

"Yeah, I was looking over your shoulder, I thought you knew."

"I thought you were't reading the documents."

"I was reading your notes."

"Same difference," she shrugged with a mutter.

"So, start calculating." He pointed at the two piles in front of her. She gave him a stink eye before picking up her pile first. She laid out the cards of her lands and made note of the rent that every passerby had to pay, counting the houses that she had built, especially taking pride on her properties in Montreal where she was one house short of a hotel.

With a satisfied grin, she reached behind Christian to grab one of their phones to use as a notepad. Typing in all the digits, she noted down the final number.

"You're not going to tell me?" He asked out of curiosity but thoroughly enjoyed the smile that was on her lips when she did her calculations. He wanted her to win, despite the fact that it would make him feel a lot more secure if he could put a ring on her finger before she leave for Berkeley, but if letting her win would make her happy then he would gladly make that happen.

She shook her head and continued to sort through the pile that Christian tossed her earlier. When she reached the hotel that he built at a place, she tensed nervously.

"You lucky bastard," she said to herself when she saw the price on the card that indicated the amount she was supposed to pay if she ever stop at that place.

"I am, and I know it." He smirked, though referring to something totally different from the game; he was talking about her.

"Yes!" She exclaimed and breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

"You won?"

She didn't reply but handed him the phone that had the final result on, biting her lips to stop the grin from splitting her face. She had to remind herself to not nod before he checked her calculations.

"So it seems." He tried to look disappointed but he really just wasn't. "Shame that I can't buy you that ring."

"Last I checked, you're already in possession of that ring." She smirked.

"I am, but I thought if I win, we can get something matching."

"Christian Grey," she gasped out loud, a hand on her chest, "what happened to you?"

"Okay, yeah, I agree, it's starting to sound cheesy and cringing." He offered a weak smile. "You said you've got something to show me?" He said, forcing them to move on from their previous subject.

"So, I get your sports car?"

"I'm a man of my words." He rolled his eyes when closed his eyes before reaching out to the game board and started to tidy up.

"I'm getting two cars all of sudden," she whistled, picking up the pieces and arranged them in to the box that was next to them.

"Yes, you are. Now, go get my computer so you can show me whatever you needed to show me, so we can go to sleep." He ordered. "I'll clean this up." He added, "now, hurry woman." He shooed at her before resuming to his cleaning.

Anastasia didn't need to be asked twice, because for one, she hated tidying up or cleaning up, hence she never take out much stuff and tried to keep everything as simple as possible, she would always limit her equipment to a minimum each time she did something.

"Wow, you're fast." She commented when she came back from the great room with his lap top in her hand, the bed was already cleared and the box sitting at the foot of the bed on the floor.

Shuffling to lean against the backboard, he plopped up another pillow and patted it, inviting her to join him next to her. She imitated his posture and set the computer in her lap, opened up YouTube.

"Oh, this reminds me of something," she typed the keywords into the search bar as she said. In spite of her calm demeanor, Christian still tensed up, because that statement would always be followed by a confession that he was probably less than pleased to hear. He chose to remain silent and wait for her to continue.

Anastasia clicked into the music video and paused it. Lowering the lid, she turned her head to him. "You have probably already figured out that I have more than enough friends to last a lifetime, but I don't actually have that many close friends. There is actually not a single person that knows everything about me, they all know different bits and pieces about me and my life, so you're kind of like the first person who knows every aspect of my life."

"Is this a warning?"

"Sort of, because I remain friends with my exes. At least, unless the guy doesn't want to talk to me or keep in contact with me, I usually maintain contact with them."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I was proposed to on my twentieth birthday," she revealed, pausing to wait for his reaction that she knew would be coming.

He stared at her with a blank expression, the last expression that she was expecting. She was prepared for his yelling, his anger and the look that told her how fucked-up she was or just how many baggages she was carrying. A blank stare was not what she had anticipated.

"Say something, Christian." She begged, growing uncomfortable under his stare. He shook his head and gestured for her to carry on. She did so, albeit very reluctantly. "He proposed in front all the guests at my party and my friends, there was no way I'd say no to it, because it'd be embarrassing and awkward."

"You said yes."

"I don't exactly have a choice," she shrugged, looking back at the now blackened screen in her lap. "We were friends with benefits but even that was a loose term. We weren't exclusive but we've went on dates and we've been to functions together. He wasn't from California but he had friends there."

"What's his name?"

"Christian," she sighed, "can you just learn about the story first?"

"Are you still in contact with him?"

She wanted to say that she had warned him beforehand that she maintained contact with her exes, but she bit her lips, knowing that all she had done was dump shit on him about her past in the last few hours.

"What happened to the engagement?"

"I broke it off the next day. He was drunk when he proposed, he only did it in the heat of the moment because people were encouraging him. We were never anything more than friends that fuck and hangout whenever we meet up. I don't want to settle down and I don't believe he does at that time, either. Besides, even if he wanted to settle, he knows he's looking at the wrong woman. Everyone knows that I don't want to get married and they know that I can deal with boyfriends but I neither want nor will be looking for anything more. Still, it didn't stop people from believing that we are something more."

"How long?"

"More than a year," she raised her eyes to stare at the ceiling. "What we had was really far from serious, and we both know that. We care for each other, our friendship runs deep, but that's as serious as we get about each other."

"What do you want me to say?" Christian sighed in utmost defeat, she wanted to comfort him, offer him anything, say anything to appease him but she knew he hadn't heard the full extent. If he had decided that he still wanted her, he'd have to know about all of it eventually.

She stared back at him with an expression that was a mixture of confusion, defeat and apprehension. She didn't know what to say at the moment, because she couldn't afford to lose him at this twenty-four hour period; she didn't want to.

"Why don't you just start the video. Let's just let it be for now, we can revisit the topic of your past later." He suggested, or more like negotiated. He didn't know why she had to bring it up right then, but he knew he was bound to learn all about her past if he wanted to be with her.

She nodded, tapping the keyboard to wake the computer, she shoved the computer on to his lap and pressed space so the video would start playing.

"Why are you showing me this?" He asked confused, his mind was somewhat still lingering on the small piece of information that she told him.

"Because, this is how you make me feel." She grinned cheekily at him.

"Miss Steele, just how are you able to keep messing up with my plan?" He smirked at her when the video was done.

She looked alarmed.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." He smiled, it only widened when she looked more and more confused. "Let's make our own Teenage Dream music video. Hmm?" He suggested, fully aware of the reaction that he was eliciting from the girl cuddling to his side that was his submissive just about a few hours earlier. "What do you say, Anastasia?" He smirked knowing that he had shocked her once more.

"You're making me sing another cover?"

"Do you mind?"

"No," she smiled, having already guessed where this would be going.

"So, let's make our own." He announced.

"Why not?" She agreed readily.

"Good, because we need to get up really really early for what I have in mind tomorrow." He smirked again, gently taking the laptop from her and placing it on to the nightstand on his side.

"Aren't you going to shower?" She asked out of the blue, though in her mind she was worrying about what she was going to wear for bed.

"Are you saying that I stink?" He teased back.

"I wouldn't dare," she muttered, her mind still on the topic of her nightwear.

He hummed disbelievingly, but answered anyway. "I showered this morning, and I don't plan on showering again, unless you join me." He smirked.

"Nah, I'll pass. If I'm getting up early no the morning, then I'm going to sleep early. I'm not a morning person, and I think you should be warned about it beforehand."

"Maybe next time, then." He shrugged about the idea of showering together.

She didn't reply as she snuggled to his side.

"We'll make that video tomorrow after we do what I have planned." He said, kissing the crown of her head.

She all but nodded. "You make me feel like I'm living in a teenage dream." She mumbled before lifting her head up at him and asked. "Can I borrow something from you to sleep in?"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	10. NINTH HOUR

_**NINTH HOUR**_

He was fifteen when he met the woman, and he never was a fan of her. In his view, the entire family couldn't see a single shiny spot in Elena's person, but everyone kept their mouths shut because Grace seemed to like her.

It wasn't until the summer that he was due to leave for Harvard that her parents confronted him. Elliot had made a stupid comment about how an old lady had tried to seduce him when he was young, then he let it slip that it was Elena. Christian could murder him for spilling the beans, because his encounter with Elena had disgusted him and he had learned to channel his anger through kickboxing. And now, Elliot had dug up the dirt, so his parents decided to confront him.

 _Christian was surveying his room one last time to make sure that he didn't forget anything. He wasn't the most organized, but he was private and as someone who valued his privacy, he needed to make sure that he had hid everything. Not that he had anything to hide, but he just didn't want to leave anything on the surface for people to look at._

 _A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to look at the slowly opening door. His family had gotten used to knocking before entering without him answering._

 _"Mom," he called when he recognized the woman who entered the room._

 _"Hey," she greeted back. "Do you have everything?"_

 _"Yeah, I think so." He looked around once again and turned back, sighing, he took a seat on the edge of his bed waiting for her to join him. He was leaving for Cambridge, Massachusetts tomorrow and it was his last night with his family because he insisted on going to college himself._

 _"Can I talk to you?" Grace asked tentatively. From the look on her expression he knew it wasn't a small talk that she was looking for. Nodding just as warily, he scooted to the side to invite her to the bed._

 _"What do you want to talk about?" He prompted, somehow realizing that he wasn't going to like their impending talk. When she didn't speak, he ruffled his head in frustration, having already guessed the topic. "Mom, stop beating around the bush. Just- tell me."_

 _"Is it true?" She asked._

 _"What is?" He knew what she was talking about but he was just stalling time right now. He could kill Elliot for that slip and for him to open his big mouth._

 _"What Elliot said," she said._

 _Usually, Christian would say that Elliot had said too much over dinner but this time, he had only made one comment, unfortunately, the one that he wasn't supposed to say._

 _Christian sighed, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee. "Yeah," he breathed out. "It is," he confirmed._

 _"So, Elena did make a move on the two of you." It was more of a statement than a question, but it was still a statement that needed an answer. He nodded for confirmation._

 _"Elliot turned her down," he decided to tell her about the one mistake that he had regretted and would be regretting for the rest of his life. It was a one-time thing for him but it was still evidence that he had given into hormones. He only accepted because he was horny and was unable to find a girl who would be fine to have sex with him without being able to touch him. He had made too many mistakes in his life, but this would be the only one that he'd ever regret._

 _"What about you?" His mom asked even though his silence had been pretty obvious that he got lured by the bait._

 _"It only happened once, I swear."_

 _"You were only fifteen, Christian. Oh dear, she seduced you." Grace sank into herself, he could see the gears turning in her mind and the start of the self-blaming that he wanted to avoid._

 _"Mom, it's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. I regret it ever since. I shouldn't have accepted it but I was horny and," he huffed, finding it hard to believe that on his last day at home before college, he was sitting in his room telling his mom about his sex life. "She threw herself at me."_

 _"Oh, Christian." Grace raised her hand wanting to run it down his back only to remember that he didn't like to be touched. Silently, she was berating herself for confiding so much to Elena, but at that time, she thought as long as Christian stayed away from her, everything would be okay._

Christian told himself that he was going to stay away from that vile woman, and that he would never participate in the lifestyle that she wanted to introduce him to.

 _BDSM._

No, he was going to focus on his studies and become a successful businessman that he envisioned himself to be. He double majored, taking mathematics with economics thinking that business studies weren't exactly useful for an entrepreneur because it was all in theory. He knew if he wanted to blend into the real world, he would have to have more practical knowledge than business management and economic theories.

However, this is where he was wrong. He thought he could cope with the stress that he was facing during the time when he was building his empire, but it turned out that he couldn't and he was looking for an outlet other than punching bags and doing sports.

So, he ended up at a club in New York when he was there for a conference meeting. It wasn't just any club, it was a sex club, exclusive and only for people who participate in a specific lifestyle — the one that he was so determined to avoid. It wasn't until he observed a few pairs that he realized that what the woman had done to him was borderline on the extreme of the lifestyle.

After a few visit to clubs like that, he found a club suitable to him in Seattle, only to be approached by the same woman that he had be trying to forget and avoid since before he left for college.

It had been almost five years and she still looked like the same ugly rug that she was.

 _"Christian?" She called, and he turned around, regretting doing so the second he recognized the person walking toward him. "I thought that was you." She reached out wanting to place her hand on his arm but he jerked his limbs away from her and took a step toward the exit. "You're so jumpy. I knew you'd be stressed." She commented at the scowl on his face that wasn't caused by stress but by her. "Have you been in this lifestyle for long?"_

 _He wanted to walk away because he couldn't afford to have his name linked to this lifestyle in any way shape or form, even though he wasn't yet famous or successful, but he was getting there, and he had to build a solid foundation._

 _If he walked away at that moment, he knew there would be a chance for Elena to open her big fake mouth to talk._

 _"No," he replied tersely._

 _"How about I show you around? We can catch up, for old time's sake." She suggested._

 _He contemplated for a second but if he wanted her mouth shut and sealed, he would have to talk to her and get her to sit down to sign an NDA. So, he followed her deeper into the club and sat down at a table with her._

At that time, he didn't really think much after Elena signed the NDA. He didn't know why he took the offer from Elena about helping him find girls fitting to his preferences, but he also wasn't seeing it as something wrong either. He just thought she was helping and he didn't really care what she did unless she exposed him. He was only glad that his parents weren't aware of his kinky preferences and his unexplainable attraction to brunettes.

In hindsight, especially after saying everything out loud and telling Anastasia, he realized that he wasn't listening to his gut which warned him to stay away from Elena. He should've walked away and never allowed her to become his pimp, because if he was cautious he would dismiss the thought of having a pimp immediately.

Elena was cut off by Grace, but that didn't mean she didn't have other friends or submissives. She still have people in her hands and she could still control some thick-headed man who would submit to woman like her.

The first problem of accepting Elena's offer surfaced when he met his second submissive. Everything looked normal at the beginning. They weren't introduced by Elena but she was recommended by her. They met on his demand just like he did with the very first one. He had done an extensive background check on her just to make sure that she wasn't associated to Elena in any kind of way other than knowing her as an acquaintance.

Negotiation the contract, signing it and agreeing to a three-month term wasn't the problem. Engaging in sexual act and meeting in clubs also wasn't a problem to the couple, but when he built his own playroom at his new penthouse and invited her to his house, the problem showed itself.

 _It was a month into their contract, and today would be the first day for his personal playroom in the newly renovated penthouse to be used. He couldn't be more excited. Though, he had only been a Dom for a number of years, and only had two contracted submissives, but he thought he was experienced enough considering his countless visits to all the clubs._

 _He was going to talk to Jessica about changing a small part of their contract. Before, they had set aside time to meet up in the club every weekend. Same place same time, it never change. Now that he had built his very own playroom, he had decided to alter the terms a little and extend their play time from once a week to twice a week on both days during the weekend._

 _Jessica Solano was a petite brunette with pale skin, she was from up North but had been living in the South for the better part of her life. She was older than him in age but not maturity. Her appearance was exactly what he was looking for in a submissive._

 _However, there was a cunning and mischievous look hidden beneath her dull brown eyes, the only shining spot in her otherwise boring, monotoned irises. Though, he didn't realize that at first because he never allowed his submissives to raise their eyes to his level, finding it too intimate._

 _Just because they were at his house didn't mean that the same rules at the club didn't apply, but for some reason, Jessica seemed to think that since they weren't under the watchful eyes of other Dominants, they could try something different. It annoyed him to no end that she would always attempt to elicit a punishment out of him by breaking their rules intentionally._

 _And, whenever she broke a rule, she would tell him:  
"I thought this only applied to the club, Master." She purred. One look at her and he would know that she had done it on purpose knowing that she would be punished by it._

 _When she thought he wasn't looking, he could see and feel her contempt against him. Just because she was more experienced than he was, having been in this lifestyle longer, didn't mean that she got to judge him and tell him how a Dominant should act. He had let it slide the first few times placating himself that it was her resting bitch face and her natural expression._

He ended their contract effective immediately and kicked her out of his apartment. She gifted him a song, performed for him albeit to his disgust, he accepted it per the agreement of the contract.

What he would never imagine was that their paths would cross again, and it would look like it had her name written all over it…

…

Meanwhile in his bed, Christian felt something moving beside him. For some reason, he couldn't fall asleep. He felt giddy when Anastasia took it upon herself to rummage through his closet trying to find something to wear for sleep. When she walked out of his closet wearing his Harvard shirt that reached her thigh, just long enough to cover up her panties, leaving her two legs bare.

She crawled into the bed, he lifted up the blanket inviting her under. She took the chance to observe his attire. He was in a t-shirt and his boxers brief, still looking edible and delicious.

"Stop checking me out and get into bed, woman." He demanded, snapping her out of her daze. She wasn't exactly staring at him admiring him but she looked like she was staring because she was tired.

Shaking her head, she joined him with wearing a tired smile. Sitting next to his lying figure, she found it somewhat weird that this man was her dominant just eight hours ago. It was slightly disturbing that she used to submit to him and obey his every command. It was nothing like her and it wasn't something that her friends would ever believe she'd do.

"I find it very... weird... that I'm sharing a bed with someone tonight." She commented lightly, scrunching up her nose as she voiced her thought.

"Weird?"

"I don't sleep next to people. I don't like it. People take up too much space, and they will fight for the blanket with me." She explained.

"So, you don't want to sleep with me?" He looped his arm around her waist, pulled his body closer to her, resting his cheek against her hip, he awaited her response. "I want to sleep with you, though." He continued when she only hummed without giving a verbal response. "It's refreshing for me to have a girl in my room and in my bed."

"It only dawned on me that we're really doing this," she confessed, "I've actually never been serious about a guy before. All of them were just fuck buddies being labelled as my boyfriend just to keep things simple."

"I've actually dreamed about this moment for a while now." He admitted. "I don't know what it'll feel like to sleep next to someone, but I'm rather excited." He grinned, tugging at her, waiting for her to settle next to him.

She fell asleep with his arms around her waist, her back against his chest; him spooning her. He knew she was asleep within minutes and he almost chuckled at how fast this girl could sleep. Closing his eyes, he buried his face into the crook of her neck. For the first time, he felt content.

Just when he about to fully fall into deep sleep, the girl in his arms stirred. He loosened his grip on her so she could twist and turn without waking up. His eyes remained close but he was now wide awake. He could feel her turning, so he turned to lay on his back to give her more space to move. She wasn't joking when she said she took up a lot of space when she sleeps.

Trying to fall back to sleep again, an arm flung itself onto his chest, creeping up to his shoulder and curling around it as she snuggled closer to him. He pulled her closer to him so they could snuggle properly. Then, she placed one of her legs atop of his, as if seeking for heat.

"Hmm… teddy bear." She mumbled against his chest as she moved her head on to him. Opening his eyes, he peered down at the mop of brown hair with bleach at the end. She looked so peaceful. It was his favorite sight and he would sometimes find himself at her door when it was left ajar to watch her sleep.

Smoothing her cheek and running his fingers through her hair, he heard her sigh contentedly, adjusting her position moving to the center of the his chest. Using him as a pillow, she finally slept and finally allowed him to fall into peaceful sleep. The first he had in many years.

…

The first and only time that he belted Anastasia was when she got caught drinking with Kate by him. That night, he had the faintest feeling that something wasn't right, and for some reason, his mind immediately went to Anastasia. It was a weekday, and he didn't need his submissive, but he still checked his phone. There was no missed calls, no messages or any voicemails, but something still felt off. He tried to assure himself that it was fine and distract himself by turning back to work, but he just couldn't sit still. Finally, he picked up his phone and tracked Anastasia's cell.

 _"Fuck," he cursed when he saw that she was in the club once again. Relief only washed over him when he saw that it was the Mile High. Scurrying out of his office, he jumped into the elevator and went for his sports car. He never liked the idea of her drinking, but he knew he couldn't stop her from doing so because it was a weekday and nothing in their contract was stopping her from going out with her friends._

 _In his car, he called Taylor informing him for his whereabouts and told him to stay put. Then called his brother. A simple call to the Mile High could tell him that Anastasia was at the club with her best friend and roommate, Kate. The girl was persistent when she hounded him for the interview, and he would give credits to her natural talent as a journalist, but that still didn't change his feelings about the press in general._

 _When he arrived at the Mile High and met up with his brother, he instantly spotted the two girls. Kate was beyond wasted, and Anastasia, although drunk, was still conscious and wide awake. He told Elliot to go get Kate not wanting to risk being associated with Anastasia. His brother didn't question and surged forward for his girl. Christian mingled into the crowd so that he could approach Anastasia without being seen by his brother. When Elliot carried an unconscious Kate out of the club, he finally stepped out from the shadow and caught up with Anastasia who was still sitting at the same spot nursing what looked like a Cosmo._

 _"Anastasia," he called out when Elliot texted him telling him that he was taking Kate home and asked him to take Anastasia back. The girl looked up answering to the call of her name. When she saw that it was her Dominant, she scowled then looked away, avoiding making eye contact with him._

 _When he finally got her to leave after she finished her Cosmopolitan in one gulp, he helped her to his car and got her into the passenger's seat. She buckled up, even though her movements were a little clumsy and slow but she seemed coherent and conscious. On their way to his penthouse, he lectured her on drinking during the weekdays and without protection, lecturing her on the importance of her own safety. He thought his words had fallen on deaf ears when he turned around only to see her passed out in her seat._

 _Sighing, he carried her to the submissive's bedroom and changed her. He sat next to her, just watching her sleep. It was peaceful and soothing but it frustrated him that the girl's action would worry him so much that he couldn't focus with work._

The next day, when she woke up with a heavy hangover because she didn't drink an ounce of water after her last drink. Taking the Advil that was placed next to her bed, she crept downstairs, wanting to thank Christian for taking care of her even though it wasn't needed because if he didn't pick her up, she wouldn't have allowed herself to pass out until she got to her apartment. She asked about Kate and was reassured that she was taken care of.

He gave her an earful about going out clubbing with no regards to her own safety whatsoever, and declared that she was in need of a punishment for putting herself in danger. She was going to reason with him, but she knew it wouldn't be wise given the mood that he was already in, so she accepted it. When she saw that it was the belt, she was prepared to safe-word the moment she couldn't find pleasure from it, but she was saved from safe-wording because for some reason, he stopped when they got three strikes.

…

 _Standing there in the middle of the room that belonged to the submissives, Leila had both of her arms falling casually to her sides but with a flashlight in one of her light. Christian arrived at the door way not long after hearing her screams. It was in the middle of the night, and Christian was an insomniac; he was working._

 _He heard a scream then a bang from the submissive's room so he dashed upstairs to check it out…_

 _He mentally rolled his eyes when he realized that it came from Leila. He didn't know why he kept her, perhaps he was just too desperate, because she had been putting his security cameras in his house in good use for too many times. He had already lost count of just how many times had he caught her snooping around and lurking near his closed bedroom door over the camera, not to mention that he had caught her in his bedroom twice._

 _When he arrived at the opened doorway, all he could see was the strong white light emitting from the device held in Leila's hand. Some of the lights shone to her jaw, a shadow faintly outlining her lips and a bit of her nose. Her hair fell against her face covering her forehead and her eyes; it fell like a curtain only allowing light to emit from beneath the opening._

 _"What are you doing, Leila?" He all but demanded in his Dominant voice. With his submissives there wouldn't be another voice for them, it would always be the same stern tone; it was the only way for him to maintain his stance and ensure his power._

 _Leila didn't respond or react to his inquiry, she simply remained rooted in her place. He took a step forward, not stepping into the room but also not outside of the threshold._

 _"Leila?" He called again. This time, her head jerked up, but her eyes looked hollow and blank. He could see it reflecting the lights in the hallway. Her mouth hung open as she looked at him agape._

 _"Master is here," she said, her voice merely louder than a whisper. Her eyes were looking up in his direction but appeared to look right past him as if he didn't exist. "Master doesn't do love." She continued to speak in the same soft tone that she had first used._

 _"Go back to bed, Leila." Christian ordered, this time his tone louder and firmer._

 _Leila didn't move. Her hair was still covering her face and the light was still in her hand, her chin was still the only place struck by the light. She looked like a ghost that was hanging down from the ceiling. Her bare feet on the ground almost covered up by the long, loose white gown that she wore to sleep._

 _He didn't know what to do but he knew he didn't have all day and he would have to make sure she would go back to sleep. He stepped forward, approaching the figure in the middle._

 _"Master," her tone faltered the moment he reached her. Without even touching her when he lifted his arms in an attempt to force back into bed, she turned around sharply and bolted for the bed, jumping right on it and sat with the blanket crumbled in her fists in front of her chest._

 _"What the fuck is wrong with you, Leila?" He demanded, but there was no response from her._

 _"I want Master, but Master doesn't want me." She whispered to herself, lowering herself to the mattress and pulled the cover up, tucking herself in and turned to her side. She closed her eyes and slept, as if nothing had happened._

 _The next day, when Christian asked her about it, she told him that she didn't know what had happened. But, when he showed her the security tape that he had clipped out over the night, she gasped and started to ramble about how she had a habit of sleep-walking._

 _"You sleepwalk and you didn't think it's an issue that I should've been informed about when we negotiated the contract?" He furrowed his eyebrows at her, he was more annoyed than angered by her confession, especially when she said that she had just remembered that bit of information about herself._

 _"I- I forgot, Master." She squeaked, "it hadn't happened in a long time, so I thought I was done with sleepwalking." She explained, hoping to ease Christian's anger. She'd rather be punished right now than to sit in his office, because this only meant one thing._

 _"This is unacceptable, Miss Williams." He berated, "I can't have you sleepwalking in the middle of the night, roaming around my apartment. You don't even know when it happens and you don't have a way of keeping it under control."_

 _"What choices do I have now, Master?" Her lips quivered nervously as she waited for him to say the words._

 _"I am terminating our contract." He declared, just like she had anticipated. "I can't afford to have you sleepwalking through my apartment, it's a security hazard and it's just too unpredictable. I won't have it." He explained, not bringing up past misdemeanors from her thinking that this girl probably already had enough to deal with._

 _"Yes, I understand, Master." There was nothing that she could do other than to accept his proposal to end the contract._

 _"Do you wish to perform?" He asked, following the protocol on the contract._

 _"I'd like to leave this CD with you, if that's okay with you." She looked up to read his expression in order to check with him. He nodded. "May I also request Master to read the note attached to it?" She asked and he accepted it. He was about to open it to read the note but she spoke again. "Can Sir please open it after I'm gone." He looked at her and then back at the small case in his hand, he nodded, agreeing to her entreaty._

She moved to her hometown, Savannah, Georgia with her parents after Christian ended their contract and she didn't have anything in mind but to pursue her passion for art and go to an art school. She would admit to anyone in a heartbeat that she had fell for Christian Grey, but she wouldn't risk jeopardizing his reputation by talking. She would honor their agreement and forget about him and about their history. She had learned to accept that it was only a temporary fixture for them.

Despite from having an unhinged habit of sleepwalking, she was his favorite submissive. She knew when to act witty and when to act submissive. She didn't have the smart mouth like Anastasia, but she knew how to coax him. She knew when to do what to please him and she knew what buttons to press when he needed a release.

In Savannah, she had started to hear about stories of Carla Adams's only child, Anastasia Steele. From what she had gathered, she was an idol, an icon for the current generation. She was famous on Instagram, had her own hashtag and even several fan account. Carla's closest relatives also didn't shy away from the spotlight that she brought, they basked in it and took the opportunity to share any and all stories about Anastasia; even some of her childhood photos were posted.

Leila's next goal changed from being a successful, well-known industrial fashion designer to the first person to actually illustrate a painting of the famous Instagram 'it' girl... the portrait would incorporate industrial fashion ideas and the main character, Leila thought it would be a perfect fit, she just needed to meet this mysterious girl. To start with, she befriended Carla's brother, Bob Adams, a local businessman.

…

Christian's lifestyle was never exposed, and Elena had been supplying him with girls. He knew he should cut any contacts with her, but in his busy life and with his reputation he couldn't step out to hunt for submissives. He made sure to only rely on Elena to an extent.

It wasn't until her last submissive that made him realized what Elena was really doing. He was lucky that his actions brought all the support that he might need from his previous submissives. When Susannah told him about a sub-club that Elena was trying to set up with the goal of damaging his reputation in mind, all of his subs vouched for him and vowed that they'd never lie about anything that wasn't true about Mr Grey.

 _"I'm really glad that you've brought this to my attention, Miss Deyanira." He appreciated her gesture, and she had always know that he was a reasonable man, but what bothered her the most was the fact that he refused to address her by her first name other than when they were playing._

 _He had admitted that he saw her as a friend outside of the playroom. They had shared their own personal anecdotes with each other during the past two months of their relationship. He had considered her a friend and vice versa._

 _Truth to be told, he had considered going on to first name basis with Susannah, but that never left his mouth because the thought of him getting too personal with his submissives still wouldn't sit well with him and he was simply not comfortable with the idea of a sub calling him by his first name when they were outside of the playroom._

Susannah was a submissive with some baggage, perhaps not as significant as Anastasia's… she was a natural brunette but with green eyes, which differed her from the other submissives. She was unique in her own way, and Christian could understand why men fall at her feet. He would've dated her if he wasn't so adamant about dating. He could see her as a girlfriend material; she was understanding, caring and kind, not to mention, very nice and forthcoming.

 _"I'm not looking for a relationship," she announced the moment they sat down to negotiate the contract._

 _"No worries, I don't do romance either. This is purely sexual, and strictly platonic." He agreed._

 _"Okay, it's good that we're on the same page and got it out of the way."_

 _The way she had insisted on clearly defining their relationship had made Christian curious, he was curious about her story. He wanted to know what made her so insistent on making it clear that everything they do would be with no strings attached._

 _He asked one day, and she shared her story, after making him promise that it'd remain between the two of them._

 _"In short, my previous Dom was also my boyfriend. We started out as a couple but then decided to spike up our sex life, so we turned to BDSM. We both found out that we enjoy this lifestyle, so we kept this in the bedroom." Christian nodded as he listened. "Everything was great in the beginning, but as we play more he started to get off on the control that being a Dominant seemed to give, and he started to drop hints that he wanted a TPE relationship."_

 _Christian could already guess where this story would go, but he didn't interrupt her. Her experience was the exact reason why he avoided romance like a plague, because it would complicate everything in his life._

 _"I don't agree to this new arrangement and I told him so. He didn't like it, obviously, so he started to force me into this TPE lifestyle and started to treat me as his slave. I felt that our relationship had started to become toxic and I felt suffocated, so I escaped during one of his impromptu trips. He had been trying to hunt me down, but he had been unsuccessful with tracking me since I moved out of the state."_

They had also broached the subject of Elena Lincoln. Much to his displeasure but he had admitted it out loud to her that Elena was a deceiving, manipulative and cunning bitch who wanted to get back at him and retain control over him by supplying him submissives. He knew he should've steered clear of that old hag long ago, and although he did what he could to prevent Elena from sinking her claws into his skin too deep, the damage had been done. She may have a law-binding NDA hovering above her head, she could still gather the girls.

Susannah terminated their contract not long after sharing her stories about her previous relationships, she told him that she needed to get out of the country because she still felt insecure in the country knowing that he could get to her. Christian offered protection for her but she declined, she didn't want to drag into her drama, and he backed down understanding that she was only protecting him. She left the country on the next flight out, not wasting another minute in the border after ending their contract. Before she left, she warned him about Elena, and explained her theory to him about her being a potential threat in the future and told him to beware.

...

Before Christian fell asleep, what Anastasia told him before settling into bed had started to bug him. He hadn't realized it at the time, but now that he'd thought of it, something sounded off.

 _"If I didn't promise you that I can refrain from sex for twenty-four hours, I'd be all over you now." He cuddled her closer, feeling her eye lashes brushing against his chest. It felt a little itchy but at the same time, he liked it._

 _"It'd get really messy if you pounce on me." She mumbled in her position on his chest. "I'm on my period." She elaborated._

 _"Do I look like I care?" He stroke her hair, "nothing would stop me from wanting you. I lust for you all the time, Anastasia."_

 _"Maybe shower sex sounds like a better option then." She replied._

When she first told him about her period. Something felt off when she said she was on her period, but he couldn't quite put it. It only dawned on him now that it was the first time in three months that she told him about her bleeding. She told him that she was on the pill from time to time to regulate her mensural cycle. He asked her if she had considered the shot, but she insisted that nothing would happen and she didn't want to mess with her hormones.

He wondered what she wasn't telling him...

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	11. TENTH HOUR

_**TENTH HOUR**_

Finally drifting in to deep sleep, Christian had the same feeling that he felt each time a dream was about to enter and disturb his sleep, his subconscious had prepared itself for the same haunting dreams that plagued him for the better part of his adult life, but it never came.

Instead of going back into the filthy, dark room that he used live with his birth mother and her pimp; instead of Elena's blood red torture dungeon, he felt himself falling. He didn't know where he was falling from but he knew that was from a very high place and he was falling very fast.

Looking down below he wanted to know how far he would be falling and what he would be falling on to. However, it was dark beneath and all he could see was an endless pit. He couldn't make out his surrounding, everything was blurry because of the speed he was free falling. For some reason, he wasn't as scared as he thought he would be. However, that didn't mean he didn't like the fact that he was out of control and had no idea what was going to happen to him.

All he could do was to look from side to side and try to make out what was going pass him. He was going past them so quickly that he didn't know if his eyes were deceiving him. He saw his previous submissives, saw his pimp, his birth mom and her pimp. But, images of his parents and family had lasted longer. Some of his ex-sub's appeared clearer than others.

During his fall, the image of Elena brought bile up his throat. He couldn't stomach the thought that they actually had a past, albeit brief. A voice in the back of his head had finally told him to accept that this woman was vile, and everything Susannah had hinted about her was true.

He heard a sound, he had recognized the owner of that voice before he could see her. In an instant, he looked down to where he was falling. It no longer appeared like the endless abyss but looked like a long tunnel — one that he could now see the light of.

There was a shadow standing at the bottom, the light shone passed her into the tunnel, and her face was in the shadows. He could recognize this body anywhere even just with the shape of the figure. He smiled in her direction, but he couldn't see the expression on her face. He assumed that she smiled back at him.

"Ana..." he muttered, the name rolling off his lips as he came diving closer and closer to where she was standing.

Before he knew what was happening, the feeling of free falling stopped and he looked around to find himself at the end of the tunnel in the arms of the same woman that was waiting for him.

"Anastasia," he sighed out her name. Staring into his eyes, she couldn't looked more beautiful. He could feel the love she felt for him oozing out of her blue eyes, he had only hoped that his eyes would reciprocate those intense feelings.

 _Is this what falling in love feels like?_ A voice in his head asked and he smiled.

…

Her hatred for Chicago was no different than the hatred he felt for Detroit. They both held bad memories and strong negative emotions for them. However, their pasts weren't exactly comparable.

Like what she had told Christian earlier, Anastasia was born in Montesano but moved to Chicago with her mother when her father was deployed. She had admired the military since she was very young, knowing that Raymond Steele was one of them. She pride herself for having a dad who was serving the country.

She wanted to be like her father, strong and being the pillar of the family. She knew her parents weren't married when they had her, and from what she could understood at her small age was that they had planned on getting married after he came back, and she would be their flower girl. Young Anastasia had been so excited about the pending event, she had been looking forward for the day since she was told.

Only, the day never came.

She could still remember the day they were attacked and the final moments of her mother like it was yesterday.

 _Gang conflicts in Chicago were what made it a dangerous city, and even the police department had grown to learn to let go some of the cases when it comes to gang violence. Those people have their own rules that outsiders couldn't understand, and sometimes, not even an insider could predict what was to happen next. Even the young girl could understand the threat of those people so she didn't argue when Carla demanded that she should remain with her no matter what._

 _They were on their way back from the grocery store, at least that was how she remembered. Her mother was still young and inexperienced as a parent, she would argue with a four-year-old kid because they didn't see eye to eye. To make everything worse, Anastasia was stubborn since the day she was born and had been spoiled by her father. All she could remember was arguing with her mom about anything and everything, but at the same time, she could still feel the unconditional love that her parents had for her._

 _It wasn't any different between the duo on the day the incident happened either. Carla had an arm full of grocery and another hand clutching on Anastasia's small one. She was dragging her daughter along the pavement hurrying home so she could relief her other arm of the heavy bags. Anastasia was mumbling about something and Carla huffed in response. They were arguing again, disagreeing on something too insignificant that Anastasia couldn't even remember what they were arguing about._

 _Anastasia had shut her mouth after her mother's response, she thought she couldn't get it through with Carla, so better save that energy and focus on walking back home. Carla was still talking, lecturing her on how to learn from mistakes and shit that she didn't want to hear._

 _Just when she thought she couldn't be more annoyed by her mother, they were surrounded by a group of men. They were all in black, which was typical for gangsters. Anastasia wasn't aware that they were in front of a bank until a man attacked her mother. Carla dropped everything she was holding and moved in front of Anastasia. She didn't know who those men were or what they were after, but all she wanted to do was to get her and her daughter out of the place as quick as possible. The man pounced on her and demanded her to hand over all valuables on her, but there was nothing that she could think of. She didn't even have enough cash to afford a bus ride home with her daughter, she couldn't possibly have any for burglars._

 _It didn't take long for the robbers to search Carla and Anastasia, and the young girl was more confused and scared when the men changed their stance. They became annoyed and out of patience. She didn't know what she had done to offend those guys, but she was willing to participate if it meant getting her and her mom out safely._

 _"We don't have anything, you're wasting your time on us. Why don't you just turn around and target the bank?" Little Anastasia shouted, at the time she thought it was something well thought of and intelligent to say, but in reality, it only brought them more trouble._

 _Carla's grip on her tightened and she pulled her daughter closer to her. The burglars seemed to be angered by her outburst even more. One of them became so impatient that they pulled out their knife trying to threaten Carla into offering any valuables. They were more angered by their lack of gain and had decided to take it out on the mother-daughter pair. A burglar drew his knife and aimed at Anastasia, but Carla intercepted just in time for the knife to enter her abdomen._

 _Blood spewed out instantly, and all Anastasia could do was root in her spot and watched her mom collapse on to the ground. The group of robbers turned their backs and escaped as soon as Carla fell._

 _"Hi, I'm Ana, my mommy is bleeding." She sobbed into the phone when 911 connected._

 _"Okay, Ana. Can you tell us where you are?"_

 _"Chicago. We're in front of a bank right now."_

 _"You have to call the police officers in the place you're at, Ana." The woman behind the phone said. "I'll direct your call to them."_

 _Anastasia didn't know what was happening, but she believed that whatever the woman did would help her. So she waited for the phone to be picked up by the Chicago PD._

 _"Chicago Police Department, how may I help you?"_

 _"My mommy's dying, please help her!"_

 _"Where are you, little girl?"_

 _"In front of a bank."_

 _"What happened to your mom?"_

 _"She's bleeding."_

 _"You need to call an ambulance for her."_

 _"Okay, but how? Who do I call?"_

 _"Call 911."_

 _"But they just told me to call you."_

 _"You need to tell 911 that you need an ambulance."_

 _"Okay," Anastasia dialed 911 once again. This time, she told them that she needed an ambulance because her mommy needed to go to the hospital. The guy who took the call told her that the ambulance would arrive in ten minutes. She nodded silently, the guy also told her that if she needed to report the attack as a case, she would have to talk to the police._

 _Anastasia sat next to her mother's dying body, stroking her paling cheek and mumbling words of apology. She didn't know what was happening but all she knew was that her mom had become unresponsive. At her age, she knew the severeness of the situation but she didn't know what to do. She wanted her mom to get better and wanted her mom to not be angry at her anymore._

 _The ambulance arrived as scheduled but the police never showed up. Anastasia was confused but her mind weren't dwelling on those little details, all she could think of was praying to God to let her mommy live._

As she grew older, the events kept playing in loops in her head, she had finally understood that she was tricked and taken advantage of. She harbored strong hatred toward the city and their authorities and had vowed to be strong a d tough like her father. She didn't want to see her father in tears again, so she had told him that she wanted to be just like him.

When Ray shot down the idea of her joining the military, she persuaded her father to teacher her how to shoot, hunt and fight.

If it wasn't for her experience in Chicago, she would probably grow up to be like those rich, obnoxious kids that she hated. It was only because of this traumatic incident that made her lose trust in authorities and changed herself for the better.

She learned it in the hard way that life was too short for any hesitation, so she had made the decision to try everything when she still could. She had been practicing all kinds of defense since moving away from Chicago not long after Carla died, and she had embraced all kinds of culture in Los Angeles. She had the self-regulation that even a military man admired but she still thought she had failed Carla.

Ray was discharged immediately as her only direct relative, he came back to take care of her. They moved to Los Angeles as he got a job as a cop in the LAPD as recommended by a friend. Anastasia started school in LA and had been growing up under the unique lifestyle those Californians had. When she graduated primary school, and she was old enough to take care of herself, Ray resigned from the Police Department, hating the corrupted and tiresome job that mainly took place in the office.

During the years that he raised Anastasia, he trained with her and maintained his fitness level. When he asked a buddy of his to put in a good word for him in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), popularly known as Delta Force, he passed the physical tests easily. The only change made to his life was that he could no longer talk about his time in the Marine with his daughter like he used to, because all of the Delta Force missions were strictly confidential. Sometimes, he didn't even know what he was doing even after the operation, his only job was to carry out operations with his team. They were sworn to never mention those classified information once the operation was complete. Nevertheless, Ray still told Anastasia about the process of those missions, only neglecting crucial information like any kind of names. He only told her about the methods that they used.

…

Tossing and turning just like she always did when she was sleeping in a big bed and relaxed, she turned to her side, untangling her legs from his and throwing her arms to the side smacking the nightstand on the way.

"Fuck," she exclaimed in her half-conscious state before falling right back to sleep.

As if he could feel the heat radiating off her body leaving him, right after she turned away, he followed and spooned her from behind. His wandering hands snaking under her t-shirt and splayed on her abdomen. Nudging his face closer to her shoulder, he could smell her scent from under his shirt. One of his hands started to move upward until they reached her breast.

She moaned when his hand grasped her boob. None of them were awake, they still had their eyes closed but in their subconscious, their body seemed to be attracting one another and they couldn't seem to be apart.

…

Since Chicago, Anastasia's heart grew a little colder. She had vowed herself to never be the victim like she was to those gang members that she had encountered. When she was in Detroit with her father for the briefest phase of her life, she started watching the fightings on the street, watching youngsters get bullied. She knew she wasn't strong enough to help them yet, so she would always stand aside and watch. She told herself to not sympathize with the victims because that would make her heart soft, and she thought perhaps she should be like those bullies so she could avoid getting hurt. The more she watched, the more she felt wrong about what they were doing.

At the same time, she also wanted to be strong so that she couldn't be hurt anymore. She learned to keep people at arms length and grew distant to emotions. With her dad being in the military and sharing stories about how someone was murdered by Delta Force didn't help soften her heart.

In LA, she soon learned to maximize her own gain from any situation that she was in. She wouldn't call herself selfish but if it was what everyone thought of her, then she wouldn't mind either. She knew that if she wanted to be bulletproof, she had to be hard on the inside. Her experiences in Chicago made her toss away the girlish obsessions with appearances, because she knew that it didn't matter how she was perceived by others, as long as she was unaffected, then nothing would matter.

Anastasia first met Sean in elementary school and met him again in high school. They weren't friends when they were small since they played in different social circles. She was always surrounded by friends but he was somewhat a loner, only having a few friends here and there, but they all left him in the end because their family moved away. She didn't pay attention to him until they met again in high school.

In elementary school, Anastasia had caught the attention of the teachers because of her extraordinary behavior and thinking. She was told by Ray that she had once climbed onto the table during one of the lessons. She laughed about it later on, but in her mind, she had been actively participating in class. She remembered herself contributing to the class when the teacher asked for ways to recite the alphabets.

Then there were the students. Some parents and teachers had thought that she was shy and didn't like to make friends, but in actuality, she just didn't want to get too close to people because it would only hurt her in the end if something happened. However, that didn't stop the little girl from developing a crush.

 _"Daddy," Anastasia called the moment Ray stepped through the door and dropped his bag. "I had a dream last night and you know who was inside?"_

 _"Who?" He asked, heading to the kitchen to start on their dinner knowing that his daughter would follow him just so she could talk._

 _"Sean," she answered._

 _Ray knew about his daughter's little crush on this guy, he didn't mind because from what he could see in his daughter, he knew that she wouldn't do anything to get herself hurt even if it meant hurting other people in the process. Notwithstanding the fact that his daughter would keep everyone at arms length, he thought she would grow out of it, so didn't really give it much of a thought._

 _"What is he doing in there?" He asked to keep her talking._

 _"So, we were in the apartment building that we lived in when we were in Detroit." She begun._

 _Ray just listened while preparing for their supper. He didn't know if he had done the right thing to let her get away with the troubles that she had indirectly caused. He knew that her daughter had tackled a kid when they were in Detroit and was all smug about it, because it was around the time when he first started teaching her basic self-defense, and he had encouraged her to use it. Then, at school, she didn't sound interested in going to other classmates' house for a playdate, and he wasn't sure if it was because he never encouraged it or because he was never there._

 _"We were at the elevator hall, and he was in the stairwell for some reason. I was at the corner of the hall and he was coming down the stairs. There was another kid in the center of the hall wearing the red tea pot costume. You know, the one that we saw in that video." She continued to recall her dream, and waved her hands around referring to the 'little tea pot' song clip that she watched when she was younger._

 _"Yeah, and then what happened?" He prompted._

 _"I don't remember, but I remember that I freaked out because Sean walked towards me." She giggled and Ray smiled. Of course he was worried about her daughter, and he was protective, but he wasn't going to stop her from doing things her way, unless it was wrong or it could get herself hurt. And, he knew that this little crush that she had on this little boy was harmless, so he would humor her and listen to her recounts of whatever that held her interest today._

When she got into middle school, she had already been practicing Krav Maga and hunting for more than a decade. Her athletic built physique had gotten her some critiques from boys in school, but that soon stopped when someone tried to take on her only to be pinned back to the ground by her.

She didn't want to get in trouble, she didn't want to attract attention, but people would always challenge her into a fight because of how she looked. At that age, she couldn't differentiate from real fighting and feigned fighting, so whoever challenged her would always end up getting hurt because she would get really defensive when attacked; it was her natural reaction. That was what got her in constant trouble with the Dean. Ray believed her when she told him that it wasn't her fault, and that she was only defending herself, but the Dean wouldn't, and the only reason that she wasn't expelled by the school was because of her perfect grades. She would constantly get suspended but her grades never dropped.

This was Anastasia growing up, she was competitive and would always want the best for herself. She identified herself as a realist instead of a perfectionist because she knew if she was expecting a lot, she would be let down easily.

Some people said that she didn't have a heart because she didn't care about the people around her, she never remembered the birthdates of her friends, never gifted them presents, the only person other than her father that had received presents from her was her best friend Katherine Kavanagh. She was the only friend that Anastasia truly felt at ease with, so naturally, she would be the only person that she would bother to buy presents for and celebrate birthdays with.

To say she was selfish and cynical to her friends wasn't accurate either, because Anastasia did care about them, she just didn't care as much because they didn't mean as much.

…

Ray had left the police department and joined Delta Force over a year after she graduated from primary school. She could already take care of herself, and knew how to do some simple cooking. If she wanted to eat a meal with more diversity, she would need help from her father because she would need ingredients and recipes, but she could survive on her own and still save up some extra cash for her own guilty pleasure.

It was in high school that her life got crazy and wild. Ray had moved back to Montesano now that she was fully capable of living on her own. He was still a member of the Delta Force and he would still go on missions. Anastasia would still talk to him about it whenever he finished one, they would meet up once in a while. In her first year in UCLA, he had retired from the Special Forces and had started to put his university degree in computer science and artificial intelligence to good use. With him being a private investigator, his income had risen considerably, but Anastasia would still spend as little as she possibly could.

Aside from Ray, what nurtured Anastasia's outgoing and extroverted personality was the constant exchange with strangers.

Before they moved to Chicago, the Solano family was their neighbor in Montesano. Carla, being the friendly person that she was, would always invite their neighbors over for afternoon tea. Jessica was a brunette woman who lived with her brother, Miles. They had inherited the property from their parents and none of them had the financial ability to move out and live on their own, so they lived dependent on each other.

Anastasia never liked the vibes that they sent out but she would always play nice to strangers, even if she didn't mean it. She knew that Miles was a photographer and had been taking photos of her since not long after they met. The two siblings had gave her the creeps but she never said anything thinking as long as she didn't do anything to get in their way, they wouldn't be in her way either. She didn't mind having her photos taken, she had gotten used to it since everywhere she went, people were going apeshit about her eyes, how big and blue they were and how cute she was. Every one she met wanted to take a picture with her, so she had become used to the fascination expressed by strangers.

What she didn't register until very recently was that Miles was not just a random photographer, he was a paparazzi. What Jessica did for a living was beyond Anastasia, but she never pegged her as a girl with much talent or skills anyway. Anastasia could only guess that Miles's job as a paparazzi was probably the only source of income to the Solano household.

When they came back from Chicago to move to California, Jess was constantly in their house. At that time, Anastasia would like to think that it was to help them pack and help them grief, but that notion soon changed when a baby was born.

She remembered her father telling her that she had a half-sister named Tina, and that she would soon become her step-sister. Anastasia didn't really care. At the age of eight, she couldn't understand what it would meant for her. She had already lost her mom and she had became so independent that she had the notion that as long as the new members of the family didn't bother her, and didn't require her to change her way of life, she would be fine with whatever changes that occurred around her. When she saw the newborn, she couldn't find herself to describe her as cute, all she could think of was how annoying it had been crying non-stop. The only thing she liked about that newborn baby was the fact that none of the adults were fussing around her anymore, and she got to be left alone.

Jess and Ray married not long after he was discharged from the Special Forces and moved back to Montesano permanently. Anastasia sometimes felt that they were a family themselves in Washington, she was a loner with only the Kavanagh family to lean on in California. That feeling didn't turn into hatred or anything negative towards her father. She was told that marrying the woman was the right thing to do, so she believed it. She didn't think her father loved Jessica but it wasn't her place to judge, so she kept her mouth shut and kept her opinions to herself.

To say she never really liked Jess was an understatement, because ever since she learned about social media, she had finally understood the page that Jessica was constantly on was from Instagram. It wasn't the first time that she had caught her posting pictures that Miles took of her on to the internet just to gain followers. Anastasia was a cute girl who looked like a Russian princess, and it gained a lot of popularity on Instagram, especially with all the pictures supplied by Miles. Ray didn't know about it and Anastasia didn't care, so it stayed there…

In spite of her sometimes almost cynical attitude towards life, and indifference towards her internet-red status on Instagram, she did feel the changes in her life. On social media, a place she had never had an account of, she had her own hashtag, found several fan accounts and plenty of her pictures taken of her own the street. Even her friends from high school got lured into it, and started to post pictures of her online knowing it would attract attention.

Parties were never her thing but she never turned them down because she just wasn't bothered to come up with convincing excuses, so unless she really felt the need to study, she would always join them. Whenever she went out, she would make sure that she had kept up with her work and painted her nails with the drug-detecting polish. Contrary to her public image as a party girl, she was actually very vigilant and cautions with her surroundings. She would feign drunk to get away with excessive drinking and use water as shots to convince her already wasted friends.

Her high school life was crazy, wild and typical of LA. The only good thing that came out of it was her friendship with Sean. The very same guy that she had a crush on when she was in elementary school. When she told him about it, they laughed and it was actually the start of their friendship. She had learned more about herself through high school and her wasted friends. She knew that she hated beer and had an unimaginably high alcohol tolerance.

Sean came from a prestigious family, he came from money, something that Anastasia didn't lack but also wasn't abundant with. Her friendship with him brought her a second family. The Barclay's were her family in LA and the Kavanagh's were her family in Seattle.

Anastasia never felt that anyone had failed her but Ray felt that he did. Before Anastasia started at UCLA, he would still keep up his promise with her and go hunting in October. She didn't say anything, but that was the only time when she felt that he truly showed some affection towards her. It was probably his tough exterior and his lack of expression of emotions that caused her to dislike showing her affection toward someone. They bond through hunting together, and it was a heartless activity, so he sometimes wondered if the lack of a mother figure in her life growing up and really affected her. He knew she cared and would show her emotions in her own way, but it wasn't a way that was acceptable by everyone.

Other than hunting, Sean and Kate were her only other escape. She was only her true self when she was with them. Sean and Kate didn't remember much about one another, they only bonded again through Anastasia, but Anastasia could remember her first meeting with Kate just like she could remember about her stupid, ridiculous crush on Sean.

 _It was the tradition of the school to host a benefit sale activity on the Sunday before the school starts. It was strongly recommended to newcomers to attend, and of course, Anastasia attended per the request of the school with Ray._

 _When she was told about the event, her father had asked her if there was anything she could sell. She rummaged through all her drawers and cupboards, but only came up with a few dolls that she never liked that were given by visitors. She was more of a stuffed animal person than a barbie girl. It wasn't much, but at least she had something to sell._

 _They set up their spot just like other families did, and Anastasia sat down with Ray looking lost. She didn't know what was going on and she knew she couldn't understand even if she asked, so she didn't bother._

 _When she was just sitting there, taking everything in, a little girl with blonde hair walked slowly passed their spot. There were tears streaming down her face, and a white hamster was tightly clutched in her hands. Anastasia watched her with fascination as if she had never seen a girl cry before. Then, she felt a nudge at her side, she turned to face her father._

 _"Go," her father nodded his chin toward the girl who was still lingering in front of their spot. "Go ask her if she needed help."_

 _Anastasia looked at her father confused, she shook her head. She didn't have the courage to start a conversation with a stranger simply because she didn't know how. It was her answering questions every time someone approached her, and she had gotten used to it._

 _Ray didn't push her, knowing that she would need time to muster up the courage, so he just sat there and watched the girl walk away. Anastasia's eyes also followed the girl. She saw the girl finally reaching the spot not far from hers, where her family went to her rescue immediately as she reached them. The boy who looked only about a year older than the girl offered a cage for the hamster and the parents started to inspect the bleeding wound on the girl's finger._

 _"She's got bitten by the hamster," Ray prompted her daughter again, "why don't you go take this dog over here and offer it to her as comfort?" He picked up the stuffed dog that was probably her favorite in the pile of stuff that she was willing to sell._

 _Anastasia took the stuffed animal in her hand, stared at it longingly and debated silently in her mind whether she was ready to give it away or not. She stared at the animal and then up at her father who was still encouraging her. For a moment, Anastasia thought it wouldn't be that hard, but when she started to get up, fear got to her once again._

 _Looking down at the seated Ray, she shook her head._

 _"You can do it, Annie. I know you can." He encouraged, but he got another shake of her head. "Then, come on," he stood up, offering his hand for her to take. "Let's go together."_

 _Anastasia nodded her head, then turned to look back at their spot warily._

 _"No one's going to take your teddy bear." He assured her, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he went back and picked up the only toy that she wasn't going to sell and tucked it under his arm. He knew that his daughter feared that someone would want to take her bear, because it wasn't for sell and it was her favorite. Anastasia thought if the teddy was precious to her, then it must be attractive for the others, too._

 _Arriving in front of the family, Ray knelt next to Anastasia and whispered in her ear. Anastasia squatted down and placed the dog next to the hamster that was now in the cage next to the girl._

 _"Tell her why you're giving it to her, Annie."_

 _"You got bitten," Anastasia blurted out, staring at the bandaged finger and not looking at the girl once._

 _"And?" Ray prodded._

 _"So, this is for you." Anastasia thrusted the dog again toward her hands, it touched her wound and the little girl winced. Anastasia froze knowing that she had hurt her. With her wide eyes, she stared at the girl and then back at Ray looking for help._

 _The adults all smiled at the exchange, and prompted the little girl to say thank you in return to the kind gesture._

 _"Thank you," the little girl said in a small voice after being told by her parents._

She couldn't remember how the rest of the sales went, but she knew that they clicked instantly and they even hung out when the sale was over.

…

An encounter throughout the first two years of her college life corroborated her belief that being too close to someone would only end up hurting yourself, because you would be expecting too much from that person only to be let down in the end…

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	12. ELEVENTH HOUR

**_ELEVENTH HOUR_**

It was way past midnight. The free falling dream that Christian had seemed to have dissipated. He was no on his back with his arms splayed out, the girl had pulled away all the sheets and had tugged it all the way up to her chin. She was on her side with an arm over her head and another spread on his clothed front. Her head used the crook of his armpit as the pillow and her legs tightly intertwined with his.

The apartment was so quiet. Nothing was alerting, and even the security in the security room had a fleeting thought about taking a nap instead of staring at the screens. Taylor was sleeping on his bed next to Gail in a much more reserved and civil position than the couple in the master bedroom. Snoring softly, he knew that he needed to sleep as much as he could, knowing what the Boss had planned in just a few hours.

He could see the love radiating off the two of them just like it was between him and Gail. In the four years that he had worked for him and in the four years that he had known Gail, none of them would be shocked to find him caving in his home office just to pass another insomniac night. While Gail had an inkling feeling that this girl was different from the ones that Grey had encountered before, but Taylor would have never pegged the Boss to fall for the girl first. He could tell that she was feeling something for the Boss, but he never thought that it was the Boss who cracked first. When he was ordered to do the background check of her, he was impressed with her accomplishments in school and also in fighting. He knew about her carry permit and her Krav Maga practice, but when he met her in person for the first time, he felt the standard background didn't even give him half of the information that was there of the girl.

Before Anastasia came crashing in like a wrecking ball, or to be more accurate, before Christian discovered the creature named Anastasia, Taylor's life was at least structured with a schedule that the Boss would follow. However, his life was thrown off balance the moment he saw her.

Taylor knew about the lifestyle that the Boss participated in, but he didn't judge. Whatever issue that he had which led him down this dark path was not in his job description. He remembered being down at the club with the Boss for his seasonal surprise check-up. He would show up at the club unannounced and walk through inspection procedure, look around, have a drink or two and leave. Taylor would always remain close by since it would be a quick check-up if there wasn't anything major that caught the Boss's eyes.

It was a few days after Grey's twenty-seventh birthday, and he attended the party that his parents threw him every year, with the same forced smile and expression as if he had an incomplete mission waiting for him at home. The Mile High club was even more crowded that night. If it wasn't for the young men and women dancing to the sound of popping of campaigns and the sharp increase in the sales of the more expensive brands of alcohol, Taylor wouldn't have noticed that it was the graduation season for universities and colleges, and everyone was out celebrating.

At a corner next to the stage, there was a crowd gathered that didn't look like they were watching the pole dancing performance on stage. There must be something else attracting their attention. Taylor would normally go check it out just in case if it was a potential security hazard, but he remembered that he was with the Boss and that they would be leaving at any given moment.

Grey was having a conversation with the manager, though how they could hear each other over the loud noise was beyond Taylor. He could only take it that everything was in order and the Boss was satisfied so there was no need for an office meeting. Their exchange was cut off however, by loud chants coming from the crowd next to the stage. Taylor couldn't make out the words that they were chanting, but he could see Grey stretching his neck in an attempt to see what was happening.

To save the Boss from the trip, Taylor tapped the shoulder of someone who had hopped onto the bar table just to look down at the center of the crowd. He was told that there was a dance-off that no one could miss. Apparently, there were two college graduates that just got back from Los Angeles. They were here every night since last week and there would be a dance-off between them every night when the clock struck midnight. They would be here from eleven to one, and in the short three hours that they were here, they would attract the attention of almost the entire club and they would take over the DJ playlist with their own. No one knew who they were, and only some knew the names that they went by.

"What are they chanting?" Taylor asked.

"The girl go by the name Steele, and the boy's called Sean."

Once that was cleared, Taylor could hear that the chants for the girl were significantly louder than the chants for the boy. He turned his attention quickly back to his Boss just in time to see the manager leading him closer to the crowd. Taylor knew that he was intrigued by the duo that had been attracting visitors to his club in the last week.

Initially, Grey didn't want to be seen, but the manager told him that they would dance for a very long time before they break, so if he wanted to talk to them, he'd have to interrupt them. When the manager and Grey appeared at the front row, the two dancers didn't seem to notice, but a few gasped when they recognized either the manager or the owner. The dancers were halted abruptly when whispers and talking grew louder and some pointing in the direction of Grey and his men.

Taylor sucked in a breath when he saw the physical attributes of Steele. Her skin tone appeared like a typical southern California girl who grew up at the beach, only her chestnut hair and electric blue eyes distinguished her from the stereotypical Cali beach girl. He could feel Grey's eyes on her, and he knew that he was instantly drawn to her. If he hadn't worked for Grey for four years, he would've thought that Grey would be pursuing the girl and attempt to bring her home for the night. Only, he knew that Grey's next step would be asking for a background check and try go make her his submissive.

Then he moved his eyes to the blond guy next to her. Grey probably didn't recognize him but he did. He was the youngest son of the Barclays. An equally wealthy and influential family in Seattle. His parents were large shareholders of Microsoft and family friends of Bill Gates. Sean had a younger sister that was the same age as Grey's sister, and an older brother around the age of Grey.

He wasn't within earshot when the Boss approached Steele as she and Sean sat down at the bar for their break doing shots. From what he could see at where he was stationed, he could tell that this Miss Steele was no submissive. He thought it was clear as day that she was different from his other conquests, the girl would never submit but would listen to reason. She looked on guard all the time and there was a vibe that he had detected which he could connect to. From his observations, he knew she wasn't innocent albeit appearing to be. Grey was fooled by her young appearance and fell for it.

He didn't know how it happened, but she sighed his contract. Taylor was beyond shock to find her in his apartment that weekend. The background check didn't tell him shit other than the fact that she was as clean as a sheet. There was no criminal record, no drug use and not even a single ticket. On paper, she was a good citizen who knew how to follow the rules.

But man, he was so wrong to choose to believe what was on paper rather than what he had witnessed that night in the club.

He saw her in person in that shooting range and officially met her when they were at the pub across the street. Sawyer was just brought into Grey's personal security team from GEH's team. From this smile action, Taylor knew that the Boss meant business with this brunette. Not a month later, he demanded a female guard, obviously to overlook the safety of little Miss Steele, but Taylor had a feeling that she didn't need surveillance. Not only because she would find out about the shadow but she knew what she was doing.

In that shooting range, he had to pretend that he didn't see her in order not to alarm her. He had no doubt that the young lady could take care of herself since he saw her in the Mile High. She was only a few inches shorter than Grey, and from what Taylor could observe, she didn't like wearing dresses or heels. If she was in high heels, she would be sure to tower over Grey, and Taylor had to stifle a laugh at that image. Compared to the security team, Grey was short, but he was tall without the security around him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Steele slipping out of his line of sight, he knew it was because of his presence and not wanting to be recognized.

Belinda Prescott was the perfect candidate that Grey was looking for. She had left a pretty decent impression on both Taylor and Sawyer after the informal initial view. He wasn't surprised to see that Steele approached Prescott not long after he and Sawyer left or the pub across the street. He knew that Steele was vigilant about her environment and she was glad to learn that she was also observant of the small, detailed movements around her. He wondered if it was something that happened in Chicago with her mother that put her on such high alert at all times. He saw her briefly cleaning her gun and putting it back to her purse to know that she carried.

They were officially introduced in the pub across the gun range. The conversation revolved around their military times and weaponry development that fascinated them. Taylor could tell that Anastasia grew up with a military background but there was something secretive about her father that she wasn't sharing. All she had said was that her father was an ex-Marine and now a private investigator, which was what the background check had told him. She was obviously very found of her old man because her eyes would light up whenever she shared a story about her father during his service in the Marine Corp.

Nevertheless, throughout the conversation, the silent messages passed between Sawyer and her didn't go unnoticed by Taylor. Prescott sat there sharing her stories in the Army, not noticing the glances that was shared between the two. Taylor didn't question either of them but this observation had been bugging him nonetheless.

…

 _"Hey Pig, how's Hannah?"_

 _"You just never ask about me don't you?"_

 _"I ask about her to know about what you're up to."_

 _"We're fine," he sighed, but from the large gulp of wine he drank, she wasn't buying his words one bit. Staring at him, she waited for him to tell her the truth, and he finally caved. "She wanted more."_

 _She glanced at him sympathetically. She knew that he loved his girlfriend, but he had also told her that he didn't want to settle down just yet. She had shared his sentiments. She was in this situation herself a couple of years ago._

 _"I told her that marriage is a deal breaker," he sighed, picking up his glass to down the rest of the wine. "I need something stronger." He announced to the bartender._

 _"Is it thought?" She questioned, "Pig, you love her, don't just throw everything away."_

 _"I don't know if I can give her what she wanted," he shook his head in defeat. "I told her that I will come around and asked her to wait," he sighed, taking the bourbon from the bartender and downed it in one gulp, slamming it down, he asked for more._

 _"Why did you tell her that it's a deal breaker?" She frowned, her hands snatched his wrist when he reached for the second glass of bourbon. When his otters hand went for the glass, her hadn't went to cover the glass. He knew it was useless to fight her in his current state, there was no way that he could win, physically and mentally. "Tell me before you down this." She ordered sternly._

 _"Would it not be a deal breaker to you? You broke up with José when he gushed about his dreamed future with you."_

 _"Yeah, we were fresh out of high school, who the fuck thinks about marriage. You and Hannah are in your late twenties, and have been dating for half a decade. Why would you toss away this relationship because of one issue?"_

 _"This isn't our only issue!" He exclaimed in frustration._

 _"But this somehow became the deal breaker," she retorted with a slight snort._

 _"She told me that she doesn't want to wait. She doesn't want to wait for me."_

 _"I'll bet my ass that she said this to you in a heat of the moment."_

 _He went silent. Noticing that her hand was no longer gripping the glass, he picked up and let the liquid burn down this throat, but it was a futile attempt to numb the pain._

 _"Bitch, it's easier said than done. She wants a fucking family and what can I fucking offer other than a stable income?"_

 _"I don't know what you can offer, but a reliable income is a good start. Hannah never said that she would break up with you if you don't marry her right away. She's only thinking about the future."_

 _"Oh yeah, and when did you become an expert in relationships? Last time I checked, you were only looking for a friends with benefit relationship." She rolled her eyes at his jab, recalling the first few times she hung out with the couple after meeting him at the Fit Expo. "B, just how do you know that Hannah's the one for me?" He challenged._

 _"Gut feeling," she shrugged._

 _"So, your intuition didn't point you to a guy who you can have more with?"_

 _"Remember that I'm still in college."_

 _"Yeah, you just started your sophomore year. I can still remember you in your freshmen year at that frat party." He snorted with a laugh._

 _She snorted and rolled her eyes. Finishing her ginger ale, she slipped down the bar stool_

 _"Why are you still here when you're lover is probably worried sick about you back home is beyond me, but I can get you home if you're leaving now." She placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. She could tell that he was just tipsy but anything could happen to him on the street if he didn't get his head out of his ass about the situation with Hannah. Despite everything, he was still her friend and she would still worry about his safety, especially when she was the sober one tonight._

 _"Bitch, just go. I'll see you around." He waves at her before waving at the bartender for another drink._

 _She shook her head and squeezed her shoulder. "Tell Hannah I said hi." He nodded absentmindedly as she turned to leave the bar._

That wasn't the first time he had went to her with his problems. Ever since they hit it off in that Fit Expo, she had become a friend that his bros couldn't be. He knew that she wasn't anything like his girlfriend, but he knew that her way of thinking would help him understand Hannah's mind. He had introduced her to Hannah immediately after the Expo was over, and they seemed to get along quite well.

He knew she was right to question his presence in LA when his girl was in Seattle worrying about him, and he also knew that she was accusing him of leaving the perfect relationship that he had been in for five years, she was just short of saying that he had to set his priorities right. It wasn't a secret between them that he valued his job more than anything, and he had voiced his fears to Anastasia once about Hannah leaving him because his job was his priority.

She had hinted more than once that he might need to shift his focus away from work and on to his girl, but he had been neglecting that piece of advice since the start.

 _The girl looked so familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. There was something about him that reminded him of something. Even without the electric eyes staring at him, he knew that he had seen her somewhere, and she had left quite an impression on him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be giving another woman the time of the day with his long-term girlfriend to share his bed each night._

 _Said girl never looked in his direction until they were all gathered at the newest attraction. It was a workout machine that was yet to be put on to the market. He wasn't interested in the machine per se, because it was a rowing machine and he didn't like rowing. He was only there because she was walking over with a bunch celebrity guests that seemed to be her friends._

 _Hannah was here for a marketing conference concerning SIP, and she was about to make Claire, another marketing manager and her friend, attend knowing that with his job he couldn't just up and leave. However, he surprised her by telling her that he had switched around with his colleagues and he could take the days off and accompany her to Los Angeles. She knew that while she was at the conference, he wouldn't be staying in the hotel by himself so she did some research and told him about the Fit Expo that was held not far from her conference place._

 _Back to the girl that was surrounded by those celebrity guests, they were still walking toward the new machine. He got there before them and kept an eye out for her. He thought she was interested in the machine, but she wasn't. Instead of stopping, they walked right past him and he had to follow them like a stalker because he still couldn't place where he had seen her. Until the minute she walked past him and he saw the tattoo on her right arm._

 _The giant tattoo couldn't be missed by anyone easily, especially when it was gothic and seemingly very unique. The girl was only wearing a black sports bra with a pair of fitness tights, her hair secured tightly at the top of her head in a high pony tail. She was laughing with the guests and they were now standing in front of a bouldering wall. There was a strength training circuit next to the wall, and just like he had predicted, they had ushered the girl to get on it._

 _The girl didn't hesitate to go through the circuit without breaking a sweat. He had seen other people dropping in the middle because they couldn't hold on to the moving wooden bars. Her precision and gripping strength amazed him. He didn't know that he was standing with the celebrity guests watching her until she narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight of him._

 _"You look familiar," she commented at him._

 _"So do you," he replied._

 _She stared at him for a bit longer, wrecking her brain for information but she couldn't place his face anywhere. When he didn't say anything anymore, she turned back to her celebrity group and they asked her to choose a route on the wall for someone and they would choose one for him in return. They would climb together and use the other as holds._

 _She agreed and quickly chose the route with all the black points for the woman and was given the light with yellow holds. She had seen other people do it before, so she knew that the two routes that have been chosen were feet-free routes, meaning they could only use their hands._

 _Jumping up for the starting point, she straightened her arms so she could save up more strength for later. Her partner reached for hers and they started to move towards each other, only holding the ones that belonged to their route. When they reached the intersection, she stopped so her partner could grab ahold of her._

 _He stood with the crowd that all had an impressed look on their faces. He was equally in awe, and he was determined to get to know the girl more before the day ended._

 _When they were finished, a few clapped for them and they bowed to the group of friends that were congratulating them. When another pair from their group went up to the wall, trying the same route, she approached him._

 _"The tattoo expo," she appeared next to him. He was pretending to watch the second pair attempting the same route that she had just came down from, but somehow he knew that she knew he wasn't paying attention to the pair on the wall._

 _"Right, yes!" He finally clicked. "Golden State in Pasadena," he recalled. She nodded in confirmation._

 _"You were there with your girl," she recalled the event._

 _"Yeah," he nodded._

 _"Where's she now?" She asked curiously, before he could ask if she was with her boyfriend at that convention. Something told him that she didn't want to talk about her._

 _"She's here for another conference." He informed her. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were there with your boyfriend, at the tattoo expo."_

 _"He's just a friend," she corrected. "He told me about that expo because he wanted to get a tattoo but didn't know which workshop was good, so he suggested we go to this thing."_

 _"What did you get?" He asked, even though it was painfully obvious where the tattoo was at, but it was his pathetic attempt at keeping the conversation going._

 _"I got this," she tilted her body so he could get the full view of the tattoo on her right arm. "It's death in a cloak coming out of a rose. I just chose black ink to keep it simple." She explained. "Did you get anything?" She asked in return._

 _"Yeah, got something matching with my girlfriend." He replied, proudly showing off the small tattoo of two letters interlocked with one another. It was a cool design but it was too committed for her._

 _"Aw, that's cute." She commented but her tone suggested that she wasn't the kind of girl that would like it. Out in the open, she could hear her name being called, she turned back to the stranger and offered him as smile. "It's nice talking to you." She was about to leave when he grabbed her from behind._

 _She turned around in lightning speed ready to attack the person only for her assault to be blocked. She stared at the person in wide eyes, not many people had a fast enough reflex to duck her defensive attack let alone blocking it._

 _"Krav Maga?" She raised a shocking eye brow at the person who was staring at her with a similar expression._

 _"Ya," he nodded, releasing his hold on her just she did hers on him. "Before you go," he stuck out his hand, "Luke Sawyer." He introduced himself._

 _"Anastasia Steele." She replied, giving his outstretched hand a firm shake. She could see that this guy was trustworthy enough to give her real name. "Maybe I'll see you around?" She lifted her hand to salute, but instead of three fingers, she used two. "Salute." She called disappearing into the crowd before he could figure out what kind of salute was that with two fingers._

 _At least now that he had gotten a name to work with, he was going to tell Hannah about this girl and maybe they could hangout together before they leave for Seattle._

They never saw each other around but Hannah had showed an interest in meeting this girl. It wasn't because she didn't trust her boyfriend but because this girl really sounded interesting and she knew her boyfriend wasn't easily impressed.

…

 _"Bitch, you down for a drink?"_

 _"At two in the afternoon, you've gotta be shitting me, Pig."_

 _"Did I wake you?"_

 _"Hell fucking yes."_

 _"So, drinks?"_

 _"No, fuck no!"_

 _"Okay, but Ana, I still need to talk to you."_

 _Something in his tone made her change her attitude. She knew something wasn't right with her friend, and he never made a trip down to LA during his day off without his girlfriend. Sure they'd meet up whenever he was down in LA with his girl, but she would never go out with him alone knowing that he was in a committed relationship._

 _Ever since the Fit Expo, they had ran into each other in Seattle, and she found out that they were all from the Seattle area, which made them even closer. She had officially met his girl and they had hit it off pretty well. Hannah had even suggested that they train together since they all practiced Krav Maga, so he became her morning workout partner whenever she was in Seattle. However, he was in LA more than she would return up north to Seattle, so they agreed to meet up whenever the couple flew down south._

Anastasia was just a freshman when she went to the two Expos. She went because her best friends were both balls deep in their work and she was still the same efficient girl that she had always been, which gave her tons of free time for her to wander around.

She met the couple in Seattle at a party that a mutual friend of Kate and Sean's hosted. Her friends were busy hooking up, leaving her to walk around with the disgustingly cheap drink in her hand. She could still picture the look on Luke's face when he saw her opening a bottle of beer with the ring on her finger, getting everyone drunk through beer pong and kicking everyone's ass in darts.

 _When she entered the bar that he was at, she didn't bring her fake ID because she didn't want to get drunk at that time of the day. She didn't feel like drinking._

 _Taking a seat beside him, she saw that he had two shots of tequila in front of him, untouched. When she shook her head at the shots, he picked it up and downed both. She scanned around the room unable to find his girl. She furrowed her eyebrows and turned back to the man who looked like he had just got his heart torn out of him._

That was just the start of their relationship's downfall. Anastasia was cautious around emotionally fragile guys like him, she didn't mind being a rebound, but she didn't want to be a cheater. She would never cheat on someone, nor would she ever help someone else cheat. That was the first time he had gone to her for his relationship problems, other times were just small bickering between the couple, and they complained about each other to her which was amusing for her to listen to.

 _Her sophomore year just started and it was devastating to see her one-true-pair on the verge of breaking up. She had prayed and hoped and wished to everyone that would listen, silently begged Luke to fix everything with Hannah after she left him at the bar that day. The last she heard about them was when Hannah called, crying to her about Luke not being committed enough. She didn't know what to do to help her friend save their relationship, but it seemed like Luke had called it quits._

 _She felt angry at Luke for not fighting for the girl that he loved, but she wasn't the one to talk especially when she cut-off her last boyfriend who had dreamed of a future with her. She understood the fear that Luke had but she didn't want to see her friends suffer._

 _Throughout the new year, Luke would visit her whenever he had a day off. He told her that he needed to get away from the city, he claimed that the city was suffocating and that her presence in the city had made her uncomfortable. She didn't want to get too close to him emotionally, so she kept her distance and agreed to let him take his emotions out through training with her._

Things took a turn between them when her finals came. She may appeared to be cool and collected, but she was stressing out in the inside about finals. No matter which grade she was in, she was always nervous about finals, because she feared that she would fuck it all up and let her grades down. She couldn't risk even getting one point less, because she knew she wouldn't ever allow herself to hangout with anyone if she hadn't aced through all her exams and assignments.

Usually, she would be attending cross country races and train in the gym to burn out her frustration and stress, but this year, Luke and Hannah's fallout had added onto her stress.

And, he showed up at the wrong place in the wrong time.

Which led them to making the longest mistake of their lives, and they had agreed to forget since there was no one to forgive other than themselves.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	13. TWELFTH HOUR

**_TWELFTH HOUR_**

Anastasia remembered her twentieth birthday even more than her sixteenth. It was the worst birthday party that she had ever had because it was awkward, embarrassing, and it was in Las Vegas. Even José's lame-ass birthday party at that bowling place was better in Anastasia's memory.

 _They had been dating on and off for a whole year now. She could still remember the look on his face when she said yes to being his girlfriend on his seventeenth birthday. She sighed to entering another relationship that she didn't care too much about. She didn't know why men in her life just couldn't take no for an answer. She had been breaking up with him more than she could count, but he had always been telling everyone that they were dating even when she never said the word yes._

She had no idea what was it with people asking her out on the days that she couldn't give a negative answer.

 _It was his eighteenth birthday, many people had already asked her why didn't she just break it off with him completely if she didn't really care about him or the relationship. Some even accused her of holding on to a hot guy because she was jealous of the other people that actually wanted him. She would snort at that pathetic theory, the only reason why she didn't break it off completely with him because their fathers used to serve together, and she didn't want to disappoint their fathers by exposing them of José's behavior. She couldn't care less what José was up to, and she wasn't bothered to actually come up with the rejecting words that she knew would hurt him and his ego._

 _"I'll pick you up," José said into the phone enthusiastically. "Love you," he called before ending the phone. Anastasia grunted a response about picking her up and completely neglected the second one. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but she definitely didn't feel that strongly about him. He was just another friend of hers that she cared but not too deeply about._

 _"Girl, you're hot." Jack whistled at his girlfriend who happened to be Anastasia's best friend Kate. She didn't know why Kate even accepted his date, not that Jack wasn't a nice guy, it was just that she could feel that there was something Jack had against her and he was using Kate to get to her. Anastasia had tried to warn Kate about it, but Kate brushed off, also throwing it in her face about her carelessness toward her relationship._

 _"You look sexy," José complimented when they stepped out of the car. She was wearing her usual outing attire. Unlike Kate, she wasn't a dress and heels kind of girl. She had a pair of converse on, a pair of bell-bottoms, a tank top and a giant coat that literally swallowed her up._

 _Rolling her eyes to herself at that praise, she said something back to him just out of courtesy and let him led her to the bowling booth that he had booked. Jack had decided to team up with his best bud instead of his girlfriend, which further made Anastasia believe in her theory that this guy had some kind of grudge against her._

 _The night was boring for Anastasia. Kate wasn't interested in bowling and was on her phone scrolling through social media and texting her brother almost the entire time. Jack and José were in their own world, chatting and challenging the girls, which turned out to be Anastasia alone. They weren't happy about losing either, but none of them said anything when Anastasia gave them the look telling them to stop whining about losing a match to a girl. They demanded a rematch and Anastasia accepted it._

Bowling could be fun, and she knew that if she was here with Luke and Sean and their friends, it would be so much better. She huffed at the lack of knowledge Jack and José had about Kate and herself.

On the way home, Jack and José still didn't stop talking and Kate started to fill Anastasia up with the gossip that she had heard from Ethan. As well as an update on her anxious waiting for her Early Decision for journalism in USC. It was their Senior year in high school, and all Anastasia wanted to do was to get into college and get out of the hell-hole that she was in since she moved to LA.

She had just turned seventeen in September, she was considered one of the youngest in their grade, but she wasn't the loneliest. For some unknown reason, she had always had a guy next to him. Sean didn't count, because they were best friends and sexual attraction between them never existed. She never wanted a relationship but she also wasn't strongly opposed to one.

Perhaps it was because of the environment that she grew up in, with her dad constantly absent and her mother died when she was at a very young age, she was precocious of her age. When all the girls at school were starting to shy away from boys and the juniors and seniors were talking about having sex in the back seat of a pickup truck, Anastasia and Ethan had made a pact.

 _Ethan was going off to college in Stanford for its undergraduate course in psychology. Everyone around him was proud of him, but he had one small thing that he wanted to tick off of his bucket list—to stop being a virgin. The summer before school was the most ideal time to fulfill this wish._

 _"No strings attached?" Anastasia had asked this countless times just to make sure that he would stay true to the pact that they had made._

Ethan had been reluctant to accept the proposition made by Anastasia, he didn't know what the others would think if they had found out about her. She was sure that this could stay between them until they were both old enough for it to be told to others. She said that she didn't care about the opinions of the others, and that it was her body hence her choice to make. She knew that people would accuse her of not being responsible and losing her virginity to someone that wasn't her significant other. To her, she never had the belief. She respected those who had this belief, but she never believed it herself. Losing one's virginity was just like a ritual, and keeping the V-card would only add pressure to her in the long run because she would worry about not pleasing the man for the first time when she had found someone.

Not many people could understand her mindset but no one judged her, everyone around her seemed to know that she had her own set of norms and values that could be incompatible with the ones held by the others.

The pact between them continued for two years before he told her that he had asked someone out. There was no love lost between them when it ended, and on José's seventeenth birthday, a few months after they ended their pact, she was asked out. She would've rejected José if he didn't ask her on his birthday, and if it wasn't for his fragile heart, she would've broke it off with him on the next day and never let the relationship last.

She was glad that they had finally fizzled out before prom, because she just couldn't find herself going to prom with him. She was glad that Sean and her came to an agreement in the end and went to prom together. Kate was still with Jack, which marked the longest relationship that she had ever had.

Many couldn't understand her relationship with most men, she wasn't fucking them and they weren't interested in each other; they were just friends. All in all, she actually only had one true girl friend, and that was Kate. Hannah and Claire were just girls that she met through mutual friends.

 _She didn't know what got to her when she agreed to host her twentieth birthday in Vegas, but they ended up landing at Vegas in a place where Ethan had recommended since he had been there for his Master's degree._

 _"Chug, chug, chug." By the second hour since their arrival, almost the entire club had known that she was the birthday girl._

 _In her hand was a bottle of unopened beer. She looked at the beverage in her hand and then at the crowd, she hated beer, because they leave a disgusting smell on her body and unpleasant taste in her mouth. On the other hand, she thought one bottle would probably be easily covered up by the other drinks that she was going to drink tonight._

 _Accepting the challenge and declining the beer opener offered by the bartender, Ethan smiled when he knew exactly that she was going to do. Placing the bottle under her right hand, with one swift flick of her wrist, the cap of the beer fell to the ground. Raising the bottle in the air, she signaled the start of her challenge._

 _She was already half way through when everyone realized that she had just opened the bottle of beer with the ring on her right middle finger. When she finished, she displayed the empty beer bottle and tossed it to the bartender who caught it just in time before it landed on his face._

 _When Ethan challenged to do vodka shots with her, she had already had too much to drink. Luke, in his drunken state had caved into public demand, and did something that he would felt embarrassed about for the rest of his life. After that, he had switched back to water. He was beyond sorry for Anastasia for having to endure the embarrassment with him, she now seemed fine, so he had switched to water for the rest of the night knowing that she would be relying on him to get her back. However, since she was the birthday girl, she still accepted it._

 _Ethan had ordered the rounds of shots but Luke had changed it to tequila knowing that it was what she preferred. He had learned from experience from hanging out and drinking with him to know that she somehow had more tolerance for tequila than vodka. He knew personally that she was a tequila drinker more than a vodka fan._

 _Kate was already passed out after the first round of shots with Anastasia, and Sean had refused to continue feeling the need to stick with Kate since they only had each other when Anastasia had a bunch of friends surrounding her. Besides, he knew that Luke would take care of her._

 _"Fuck," Anastasia cussed when she saw Ethan's girlfriend downing the shot that Ethan was supposed to be drinking. "I didn't peg you as a cheater, Kavanagh."_

 _"I just have friends, that's all." He shrugged._

 _"Damn it," she cussed after scanning her surrounding. She knew that Luke wasn't drinking anymore because she would be beyond wasted by the night end. "My friends are all through."_

 _The very next day, Anastasia was groaning because of the massive headache that she had ever had during her years of drinking history. Her roommates were still passed out with only one sober soul, and he came to her bedside after she had managed to sat up straight._

 _She could remember every detail of what happened until that very last shot she had taken just to prove that she had beaten Ethan. She didn't know what had happened after she blacked out but she assumed that Luke brought her back immediately after she passed out._

 _"You okay?" He asked, handing her a glass of orange juice and two pills of Advil. She thanked him and took the medicine._

 _"Yeah," she opened her eyes slowly, readjusting to the light in the room._

 _"About yesterday," he began, and she instantly knew what he was going to say._

 _"Hey," she butted it in, cutting him off. "Don't sweat it, yeah? What happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas" She reached out and patted the back of his hand that was laying in his lap. "It's just for show. Take it as practice, Luke, I know you're going to do it again, but this time to the right girl." She squeezed it tightly before loosening her grip and allowing him to take in her words. "Call me stubborn, but I still believe that you and Hannah are meant to be." She smiled softly._

 _"We're over right?" He asked just to be sure. What he had done last night had opened his eyes to how wrong his relationship with Anastasia had been and he now felt guilty for ever starting it with her. Though he wasn't the only one at fault, but he was still partially to blame._

 _"Not our friendship," she replied, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "I didn't want our friendship to end. Let's just stick back to what we have before all this shit happened yeah?"_

Other than the very unexpected request from Luke during his drunken hours, and the fact that she had the biggest hungover she ever had when she woke up, it wasn't the most disastrous celebration that she had attended. Because, the one that turned out to be a disaster was the twenty-first birthday party of some rich asshole's in Beverly Hills. He was a mutual acquaintance of Sean and Kate's since they all came from rich and influential families.

 _The two were invited and Anastasia tagged along as their plus one. It was a pool party. She didn't plan on getting drunk, so she declined all the shots but accepted cocktails to spare the host his feelings. She knew since the party was hosted by Sean and Kate's mutual acquaintances, there were going to go all out just to keep up appearances, and show some respect to the host. On first look, she knew that this guy was a spoiled brat and had always been dismissed by his neglectful parents with money thrown his way. She could see girls surrounding him the moment he showed his face in the crowd._

 _Anastasia recognized the roll in his mouth from the smell before even having a good look at it. It was marijuana. Her face twisted in disgust when the smell of pot became stronger, the wind was blowing in her way. She had tried it at that frat party where she met Luke and Hannah in Seattle for the first time. It was disgusting, just like the taste of cigarette. She thought they felt suffocating when she inhaled. She felt like the smoke from the rolls were going to block her wind pipe, she had no idea how those kids managed to survive with tar in their lungs. She would only accept water pipes, that was the most she could tolerate, others were just hard limits._

When Sean gave her a menthol flavored vape on her twenty-first birthday as a celebration because it was their last year of school, Anastasia gave her an unimpressed and odd look, one that Sean would never forget. It was one that was mixed with bewilderment and disappointment. He thought she would like to have one since she looked like she enjoyed playing with the smoke rings and blowing out those that could change color when she was at that party in Beverly Hills. Anastasia thanked him and kept it, but rarely took it out to use… until Elliot confessed to her that he used to vape a lot but started to step away from it after his brother expressed his immense dislike.

...

Her relationship with Luke was probably the most complicated one. When he was assigned to her post as he shadow, he somehow didn't know what to expect. She would know that she was shadowed and she would most definitely recognize him. After all those years, their contacts were limited since Vegas, but she was right all along, his priority had still been his job and less on his relationships.

Hannah had admitted to Anastasia that she turned to a mutual friend of theirs and started a relationship with him not long after breaking up with Luke just so she could take her mind off him, and she also told Anastasia that she knew about her and Luke. Anastasia was only thankful that Hannah was reasonable and didn't felt betrayed by the choice that her and Luke made. She wasn't stupid though, she knew that Hannah would feel uncomfortable around her and that she would still have something against her even if she didn't want to express or acknowledge it.

There was a small incident that presented a very awkward situation that made Luke and Anastasia a little wary of their friendship. In the last year of her university life, they were asked to be the naked models in a music video. While none of them were worried about being naked on screen, they were worried about what this would mean to them. They had ended that part of their friendship two years ago, and she had been helping him mend his relationship with Hannah, albeit making very little progress.

This now became another thing that was hard for Anastasia to deal with because she would have to tell Christian, and he would need to know everything that she had done with Luke. She didn't want him to be fired because she knew the importance of this job to him, but knowing Christian, even she had approached him with the utmost caution, he might still end up being on the receiving end of Christian's ire.

…

Speaking of Christian, his family was the interesting one in the three aforementioned families that were wealthy and powerful in Seattle. Grace was a pediatrician and the head of department in her hospital, Carrick was a defense lawyer and the one time that he took a medical malpractice case, he met the love of his life. He was quick to make his move, but their marriage took a blow when they couldn't maintain any pregnancy and had failed too many times. Initially, he was against the idea of them adopting, knowing that they wouldn't be able to look after the poor kid because they would be at work all day all week, but when he saw how happy his wife looked when they saw the small Elliot, he caved.

They were friendly people and taught their children to be empathetic and not act proud because of the wealth that their name held. That didn't stop Grace and Carrick from disliking the one person that they thought could be their friend. That blonde woman was vile and it took the slip up from Elliot to learn just how vile. They now saw the reason why their children were always faking in front the woman.

Generally, they would approve of the friends that their children made. If they didn't approve they would make their opinion known to their kids but never object them from hanging out together. Still, they knew a bad influence when they saw one. For instance, Mia's best friend, a Barclay. They never liked the Barclay family nor the Kavanagh's, but they would put on a friendly face on occasions where they would meet. The Barclay and Kavanagh family were old school and traditional, they were not new to money, it was all inherited.

Lily, the youngest child of the Barclay's and their only daughter. She grew up surrounded by gold and was the jewel in the family. Her two older brothers would spoil her and so did her parents. She was given access to anything and everything her little heart desired, and Mia was somewhat envious of the life she lived in and once dreamed of living in one of those luxurious life. She and Lily were best friends, they went to the same school since kindergarten. In the beginning, Mia was exasperated with her parents about forbidding her to any and all parties that were hosted by her classmates in school, but it all changed overnight when a video of Lily drunk and stripping on top of a bar table went vile.

She remembered Lily's embarrassed and mortified expression when her parents confronted her about it, and could recount everything that Lily told her. From meeting her brother's best friend, Ana, to doing shots with her and jumping on to the bar table dancing with her. She thought hanging out with her brother and older girls were cool, but she clearly didn't know what she was doing or what she was getting herself into.

 _The party was intended for college kids since it was hosted by the eldest Barclay kid, but since it was hosted by her brother, Lily didn't hesitate to show up at the venue. She avoided the corner where there were people around a water pipe, she knew her brothers would have her head if they ever found out that she went near that thing. She also steered clear of the rooms upstairs, she was a junior in high school and she knew exactly what always happen upstairs._

 _It wasn't her intention to bump into Sean, but she did and she did a double take when she saw a girl next to him, and the fact that he wasn't all over her surprised her even more. The girl was pretty and she sent out a different vibe from the girls that she had seen his brother with. Squinting under the limited light in the room, she saw that the girl had that massive tattoo of a creepy lady on her right arm. It brought her back to the memory of seeing his brother's Instagram post when he was at the tattoo expo not long ago. It was the same girl that he took a selfie with._

 _She was laughing with Sean when Sean spotted his younger sister. He tugged the arm of the tattooed girl in a loose tank top that looked like the kind that Sean wore when he went to his frisbee trainings. She wondered if this girl was a teammate of his._

 _When the girl looked at her in her electric blue eyes that would change color under the lights, for a second, Lily thought it was baby blue, but the moment she blinked, it changed back to the color of intense electric currents. Lily couldn't think of anything other than thinking the girl was cool and beautiful, and she would really want to befriend and hangout with her because it would make her look cool._

 _"Lil," Sean acknowledged her, pulling her close to him for a hug. "Does mom know that you're here?" He asked loudly in his ear. She shook her head and gave him a devious smirk, she knew her brothers didn't really care about her going to parties, they thought she was old enough, it was their parents that were against her partying._

 _"If mom asks, you didn't see me." She told him, reminding him of the deal that she had with both of her brothers._

 _"You got it," he winked. Her eyes darted to the girl standing next to him with her side faced in her direction as she conversed with some other people. He could see the curiosity in his sister's eyes. "She's my best friend, not my girlfriend, Lil." He explained, tugging on the girl's hand to get her attention. "Lily, this is Ana." He introduced. "Ana, my little sister, Lily." He said, ruffling Lily's well-tidied braid._

 _"Hey," was all Ana said to her after sending a smile and a wink her way. "She drinks?" She turned to Sean who nodded and narrowed his eye at her in warning. "Chill bro, just taking her to experience life."_

 _Sean rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Anastasia was up to, but he trust her to not go too harsh on his sister. His internal debate of whether he should follow just to keep an eye on Lily or not was interrupted when another friend of his came to him asking him to join them in a round of beer pong._

 _Everything was running as smoothly as it could get in a wild drug-free party, until he saw a frantic looking Anastasia practically dragging him away toward the bar. When he looked up he saw Lily swaying on top of the counter, her clothes shredded leaving a trail behind her as she walked the length of the bar._

 _"What the fuck, Ana?" He yelled at her._

 _"I swear I wasn't with her when all this happened."_

 _He glared at her, "didn't you take her to do shot?"_

 _"No," she defended, "I like to have fun but I wouldn't be that irresponsible. I didn't do shots with her, she could barely swallow a sip of vodka let alone down a shot. I saw that and that was when I told her that maybe she should go find her friends."_

 _"So you just let her out of your sight?"_

 _"I was never told to baby sit," she rolled her eyes at his accusation. "You don't seem to give a shit about her showing up at a place like this when you introduced us, I thought you were cool about her roaming around."_

 _"How much do you think she's drank?"_

 _"I don't know, but she looks like the kind with zero alcohol tolerance. She probably only had a cocktail or something." She guessed, looking up at the strip-tease, she had no idea what to do in this situation because it was the first time she had seen someone who actually caved under the chants from the crowd. She had heard everyone chanting 'strip, strip, strip' but she didn't pay attention to who they were yelling at._

Anastasia was always fascinated at how could one child be so different from the rest just because she had the undivided of her parents' attention, and she was the sole focus.

…

When the other rich and powerful families were busying themselves with social work, the Grey's were insisting on a family gathering once a week just to keep the intimacy within the family. They weren't big on attending celebrations and galas but they would show up just to keep up with their reputation.

To spike up their family weekly gatherings, they would go horse-riding every once a month during spring and autumn, surfing during the summer and skiing during the winter. Christian was forced to attend but he would always skip those trips, using work as an excuse to stay in Seattle for the weekend and spending it mostly in the playroom and in his home office. Whenever it was the weekend for those trips, he would lend them his jet and his property in Aspen in the winter and the beach house in Long Beach in the summer.

Mia hated those trips other than the ones in the summer because she got to stay on the beach to work on her tan. She wasn't interested in any of the sports, and all she wanted to do was to relax. She was envious of Christian who didn't have to show up if he said he didn't want to, she just wish she wasn't so dependent on her parents that she had to listen to them. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with her family, there was an age when every teenager thought it was lame to still hangout with your parents when you could go out with your friends.

Growing up, she was practically the doll that her two brothers played with whenever they wanted to and it didn't help that they were so much older than her. Everyone thought she was lucky to have brothers that were so much older than her, but she would always beg to differ. Elliot was two years older than Christian and Christian was nine years older than her. The huge age gap made it hard for the two boys to hangout with her sometimes. They were protective of this little sister of theirs but that didn't stop them from pranking her and ganging up on her when it was just the two of them with her.

She felt a special bond with Christian and according to her parents, Christian had been brighter since her arrival. Elliot had always been the careless one and Christian was the tender and gentle one when she was small, even though the two of them would deny the claims that they were ever nice to her, she knew that they would be at her rescue within a second if she hollered. That still didn't stop her from going to her parents, crying to them about how her brothers bullied her.

The roof had been off-limits to the children but that didn't stop the two boys from climbing on there every once in a while when they wanted to get away from their parents. Since they were close in age, Mia was never allowed up there and the highest she could go was the attic in which she was scared of because of the stories that her brothers told her about. She knew they were just fooling with her mind but she still couldn't bring herself close to the attic if she wasn't with another person.

She knew her brothers weren't supposed to be on the roof but she never had the heart to out them to their parents. She would just go back to her room because she had no one to play with.

 _"Christian," she called to her brothers on the roof from her window, hoping that her parents couldn't hear them from the kitchen on the first floor. When she heard shuffling movements from the roof, she moved back into the house and waited for her brother to come to her._

 _"Yes, Mia?" Christian hopped on to her balcony down from the roof. Her brothers would always do that whenever she called for either of them._

 _"I'm scared," she pulled her blanket closer to her chin and waited for her brother to pull her into his arms._

 _"What are you scared of?" He probed gently, smoothing her straight blonde hair. She didn't answer him but he could already guess the answer, it must've been one of the ghost stories that he and Elliot told her recently. He had to look at the fragile girl in his arms to stop himself from laughing._

 _Sometimes, when Christian had scared her too much about the attic, she would ask for Elliot at night but she would ask for Christian most of the time because she had always thought of him as the more serious and responsible brother. Elliot didn't give out the sensible vibe and the only emotion in his eyes was mischief. Christian was the quiet one and it sometimes shocked their parents when he pulled a prank._

…

A small smile appeared on to Christian's peaceful face. He didn't know that he was smiling, but he felt content when he felt her snuggling closer to him. She had thrown her leg over his hip, brushing against his semi-erected dick. The feeling was pleasant and he wouldn't mind if one of her hand rested atop of it.

He could definitely get used to a sleep without nightmares haunting him every time he closed his eyes. Even a dream about his family that he hadn't been too close to lately was better than dreaming about the blonde hag or the frozen peas that accompanied him through the longest four days of his life.

 _Beep. Beep…_

 _Beep. Beep…_

The blaring sound of the alarm clock pulled him from his sleep, the smile on his face turned upside down and into a frown. He turned his head lazily and saw the number 3 illuminated from the rectangular screen.

It was three in the morning. His eyes moved down to the beauty laying on his chest. Picking up the hand that was resting on his chest next to her face, he kissed the bare ring finger and scowled at the platinum ring on her middle finger. He could see a few scratches on the ring, from opening beer bottles.

Still, it didn't make him feel any better about it because of the person who gave her that ring. He bet it was a cheap ring since it looked so plain, but that was still bothersome. Though he lost that game of Monopoly, he was still determined to get a ring on her finger before she left for school.

Gently nudging the crown of her head with his lips, he moved away the hair that was covering her face and started to caress the skin it exposed. She moaned and groaned in protest, but her eyes never opened

"Ana," he said, louder this time. "Baby, wake up." He gently lift her off him and hovered over her, peppering her face with kisses.

"What time is it?" She asked with her eyes still closed, her voice low and hoarse.

"Three," he answered knowing his girl wouldn't like the answer.

"Too fucking early," she groaned, pulling the sheet up to cover her face so he could stop attacking her face. "Sleep."

"We need to get up," he tried again, "for what I have in mind."

"Fuck it," she mumbled, making him chuckle. "Sleep is more important."

"Baby," he cooed softly but at the same time, he pulled the sheets off her body roughly, making her think if there were two people in the room. "Come on, get up."

"I'm not even awake yet." She protested, turning on to her stomach and burying her face into his pillow.

"I knew you're hard to wake up, but I never though it'd be this hard." He sighed.

"Come get me in ten minutes, baby." She muttered, waving her arm in the air hoping to get his attention, without even waiting for a response from him, she let her arm fell limp beside her body and fell asleep again.

Letting out a chortle, he went into the bathroom and decided to let her sleep for a few more minutes.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	14. THIRTEENTH HOUR

_**THIRTEENTH HOUR**_

"Baby, I've let you sleep for twenty-two more minutes already." He shook her awake after making sure that everything was prepared and checked in with Taylor. "You can sleep in the car, it's a long drive."

"Where ever the fuck we're going must be worth it, because, damn you motherfuckers have to be so precise down to minutes." She uttered the longest sentence that she was going to say before she was fully awake. Heaving a long sigh, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, failing to rub out the weariness that she was feeling.

"I did tell you that we're going to get up really early." He reminded her while tossing her the clothes he picked out for her and wrapped her in the jacket that she wore yesterday which belonged to him. He almost gave her his rowing hoody when she asked to borrow a jacket from him. With her, everything that he was used to just ceased to exist, he had never been possessive about another person before, let alone a girl but now he wanted her to wear the hoody with his name on the back, telling every fucker out there that this girl was taken by the luckiest son of a bitch.

The sky was still dark when they went out, her eye lids were still droopy and he would chortle at her conscious level from time to time whenever he saw her yawn. He knew she wanted to comment on how dark the outside looked but didn't because she was too tired. She was out the moment she got comfortable snuggling against him in the back of the SUV.

...

"Jason?"

The voice of his boss jolted him out of his focus on the empty road ahead of him, it was rare for him to use his first name, and even rarer when he sounded like he was going to start a conversation with him. In fact, it was the first time that Grey had used tone with him.

"Sir?"

"Forget about the rules for now, just answer me honestly." He requested, and Taylor could nod in acknowledgement. From the rear view mirror he could see Anastasia coddled to his side, his palm splayed on her hip possessively. "Why didn't you tell me that Ana's father is married to an ex of mine?"

Taylor's eyebrows were lifted so high in surprise that it almost looked comical. The question was asked so out of the blue that made Taylor wonder just how much did Ana tell him about herself and her life.

"With all due respect, Christian." Taylor sighed, he knew Grey was feeling out of control at this moment and was probably seeking an outlet since he didn't have the heart to wake up the girl next to him to confront her. "I'm only aware of your acquaintances in the past four years." He reminded.

"Fuck," he pulled at his hair feeling stupid for even blurting out the question, but since he had started the questioning, he wasn't going to stop until he had gotten some satisfying answer from Taylor regarding this girl next to him. He knew he should've just asked her, but hearing everything from her wasn't going to be easy, so he thought hearing it from another person might be better for his poor blood pressure. "Can you look into it?"

"I can, but personally," Taylor replied, deciding to include his own input since the Boss had started this conversation off in a friendly setting not an employer and employee setting. "I think it's better if you talk about this with Ana."

Christian sighed loudly, disappointed from the response he got but knew that Taylor was right. "Speaking of Ana," he moved onto the next subject that he wanted to get out of the way.

Taylor gulped subtly, wondering if the Boss had found out about Sawyer and her history or it was something that she had done with them during their days off.

"Do you know about her carrying permit prior to the contract?"

"Yes," he answered honestly, there was no way around it and he didn't see a reason to hide it.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Her background check came back clean, without any red flags. Her license is for her own defense, and whether she carry or not isn't something that I can change, besides I ruled it as a self-defense weapon."

"You never thought her with a gun could be a threat to me?" He mused out loud, knowing this question was a moot one.

"No, because according to her background check she is a good citizen that knows how to follow the rules."

"Yeah, right. She knows how to hide away from authorities, that's what she is." Christian snorted at how many of his rules that she had broken.

"She knows how to get around the laws and not get in trouble," Taylor agreed, "but that's not a bad thing because even though I haven't looked into it, but I have reasons to believe that her father is an ex-Special Force, preferably Delta Force."

"Is that why it's not listed in his career?" Christian asked though he had never read Anastasia's background check, he only got a report from his security telling him that she was no threat and she was no mole for any kind of organization. He had remembered that she had let it slip that her dad was an ex-Delta Force a few hours ago.

"There's nothing written about that man in her check, only that he is an ex-Marine and now a PI." Taylor replied. "His profile is probably partially sealed by the government because Delta Force rosters are always classified at the highest level." Taylor explained. He thought Grey knew about it since they seemed to be taking time to sit down and converse in the last few hours before they went to bed.

"Why do you think she needs to carry for self-defense?"

"With her father's background and personality, he's probably made some enemies along the way, or there are simply people who don't see eye-to-eye with him and wanted to get to him. The man knows about it and knew that some of those bastards will target his daughter."

"And, how did you know all this?"

"It's a guess with reasonable theories."

"And, just where did those theories come from? What are they based on?"

Taylor cleared his throat uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze of Christian's. He knew his boss was asking about his down time. "The night Luke and I went out to meet with Belinda at that shooting range," he started the story that Christian had heard of, but from a different perspective. "We saw Ana at the range," he paused waiting for his reaction, when there was none, he knew that Anastasia had probably already told him about it.

"I know about that part. I want to know what happened in the pub that you saw each other at again. The one across from the shooting range." He demanded.

"We started off talking about guns, and then when we all said that we're ex-military, she brought up her father." Taylor shifted uncomfortably knowing that he was under his Boss's vigorous questioning scowl. He could feel Grey's annoyance without sparing a glance at the rear view mirror. "She shared stories that he had told her about when he was in the Marine Corps. From what she had described about him, he is not a people's person and he's hard to get along if you started off on the wrong foot."

Christian sat in his seat, still unable to wrap his mind around the woman dozing off on him. He knew that his past wasn't exactly pleasing to eyes, and he was grateful that Anastasia hadn't brought up her observation of the resemblances in his submissives. They were all brunettes and he once thought he chose brunettes because he wanted to punish his birth mother for neglecting him and overdosing to leave him to fend for himself. He had spent a ridiculously long period of time in therapy working on it and coming to realize that he was attracted to brunettes and was only too brainwashed by Elena about the lifestyle, since it was what he was told about the lifestyle. Even though he had only had sex with Elena once, but that didn't mean she didn't show him everything about the lifestyle. Her influence over him was still significant. He was only punishing the girls because of selfish reasons, and because he couldn't stand them breaking the rules that were supposed to keep his ordinary life uninterrupted.

"How much do you know about Anastasia? Or how much does she know about you?"

"We didn't talk about anything personal that night, it was all story sharing of our times in the military."

"No, I mean surely that's not the only time that you're with Anastasia during your time off. She said she's asked you, Sawyer and Prescott to the gun range before."

Taylor pursed his lips, he didn't know if the Boss had been informed about Anastasia and Luke's history, but he could be certain that there definitely was one. He didn't know how to answer the question without outing or hinting about a possible past between Anastasia and Luke. If he had dropped any hints, no matter how subtle, Grey would be sure to sniff it out.

"For fuck's sake, just out with it, Taylor." Christian groaned at the hesitance that his Head of Security was showing.

"I spend most of my day off with Gail and my daughter, so I've been turning down invites to the gun range." He explained, "I've been with them a few times. Since the three of us don't always get the same day off, so I'd usually accept the invitation when either Luke or Belinda has their day off. We've been to the gun range and also fight clubs."

"Fight clubs?" The pitch of his voice told Taylor that he wasn't finding this piece of information to his liking one bit. He shuddered to think of what it actually was. "Like the movie?" That was his first thought when he heard about it, and if that was true, he dreaded to think that Anastasia would be going in and out of places like that.

"No," Taylor chuckled, "not like the movie. Ana does kickboxing but she doesn't wrestle and the more violent ones aren't her style. She brought us to this boxing place. It's like a gym, much more organized than real fight clubs. That way she could avoid fighting with random strangers. It's the place that she usually goes to, and that's also the place where she and Luke practice Krav Maga, the self-defense that both of them mastered. Belinda sometimes kick box with Ana, but since she's better at Chinese kickboxing and Martial Arts, Ana fights more with Luke."

"Do you join them? In the fights, I mean."

"No, I'm there for damage control." He chuckled again, making Christian shudder at the thought. "It can get pretty violent." Taylor elaborated, "I'm mostly there as the referee and to make sure that no one gets seriously injured."

"But, I don't remember seeing any bruise on her on the weekend." Christian mused out loud. If Anastasia really was that competitive and violent on the mat, she might've gotten injured and if she had he would've noticed. She was naked most of the weekend with him, after all.

"We usually go to fight clubs on Mondays, because any injury would've healed by the time the weekends approach. At least that's what Ana says. Other times, we'd just go to the shooting range."

"Why can't you just go to a gym to spar?"

"Because what they do isn't exactly sparring, it's more like fighting. They do it for real. Luke doesn't go easy on her." Taylor confessed, sneaking a glance at Anastasia who was still passed out on Christian's shoulder, seemingly oblivious to all the talks about her.

"Is she any good? At shooting, I mean." Christian didn't know why he asked, but he just wanted to know more about his girl, even just those small bits and pieces that didn't seem important.

"Compared to her with a gun and her with a bunch of knives, I'd say her shooting isn't as good as her with knives. She's not bad with archery, and her shooting is on target and accurate, not disappointing at all for a person that had been shooting all her life. Her knife throwing was another thing though." He recalled, remembering just how impressed he was when he saw her throwing knives when she thought she wasn't being watched. He had seen her throwing darts at that pub that they had first met but when he saw her throwing knives, he now knew where her accuracy came from.

"Does this girl has anything normal?"

"I don't know, Christian." Taylor sighed, he knew Anastasia was a lot to take in for the Boss, but he could also see that this girl was good for him and that he was also very smitten with her. "She is certainly independent, not only in the material sense, but also emotionally and mentally. I can tell that she won't lean on just anyone and she wouldn't trust just anybody." Christian could sense that Taylor had regarded Anastasia highly and had been impressed with her during the three months that she had been his submissive. "I don't think there's anything ordinary about this girl. She's well protected emotionally, that's all I can tell. She'll keep everyone at arms length, and I believe that there's no one that knows everything about her. I don't think even her two best friends that she grew up with know every aspect of her. She can be unexpected."

Christian sighed. There was no way he could put up with this girl. He knew she was fiercely independent and could take care of herself probably better than he could take care of her. That didn't stop him from worrying about her, though. His first opinion of her after she told him about her activities during the week was, this girl was reckless as fuck. However, Taylor seemed to see her as someone responsible and albeit reckless, she knew what she was doing and could fend off the consequences.

"I have something to confess though." Taylor started once again, seizing the opportunity to get everything that he was holding to himself about this girl out to the Boss since he had given him permission to conduct a conversation with him. "You've put Luke Sawyer as her tail since you met her in the Mile High," he said, which was exactly what Christian did.

Since meeting that night, he had been somewhat worried about the girl, because she was unlike any women he had met. She was like a closed book to her, unable to read anything from her. She was too unreadable that Christian had thought about putting a shadow on her just so he could verify whether this girl was trustworthy or not. "Yes, I remember." Christian prompted him to continue.

"I think she knows about it."

"Sawyer's a professional, how can she possibly detect him?"

"She's obviously well trained, and is very vigilant about her surroundings. I think she knows that she's being shadowed, she's just never break it to you that she knows."

"No, I don't believe that. A girl like her would definitely throw a fit if they realized that they're being tailed."

"That girl has probably read you but you haven't been able to read her."

"I have, I know her." Christian protested, though he was starting to doubt that himself.

"I think you've read what she wants you to read about her." Christian sighed, helplessly running his hand through his already untamed hair. He didn't know if this was a good thing or not, he didn't like to be at a disadvantage. "She's just guarded. From what I've observed of her, she's used to showing the people around her what she wanted them to know about her."

"She never reveals much does she?"

"No, she never talks about herself when she was with us. She just invite us to hangout at the shooting range or at the fight clubs. Luke would always go when he was off duty. Belinda has declined sometimes, and I think Luke has been running with her at night and working out with her during her workout times."

"So, she knows that Sawyer is a member of my security team." He sighed defeatedly.

"I'm positive that she does."

"Then, why didn't she say anything about it. I was sure that if she had ever found out about it, she would be confronting me. It certainly didn't stop her from chewing me a new one when I dissed her classic VW Beetle."

"I think you know that this car is only used when she's in Seattle right? It's usually in Montesano and she's got a better car in LA."

"I've missed a lot when I didn't read her background check didn't I?"

"That's not in her background check." Taylor pointed out, "I asked her about it."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"When should I bring this up?" He countered.

"Good point," Christian muttered under his breath. "I need to learn more about her then." He sighed defeatedly, feeling emotionally drained from even thinking about the experiences that Anastasia had. He knew whatever story she was going to share with him wouldn't be to his liking and her past certainly wouldn't be pretty. It wasn't like his past was anything pretty, but it wasn't as full of experiences as hers. His basically revolved around building his business and using women as a stress relief tool, also a sex toy to play with from time to time if he was being honest.

He had made it a point to ask her about Sawyer, because there must be something that Taylor wasn't telling him about these two. He was sure that she would be confronting him about the tail if she ever found out, but she had been pretending that there wasn't a security detail around her when she was with him.

"One last thing, Jason."

"Yes?"

"Has Anastasia ever been to one of those fight clubs? The real ones?"

"Yes."

"Well, fuck."

…

Anastasia had only stirred once and shifted position because her ass was getting numb. She now had her head in his lap and her arms wrapped around his waist, hugging on to him as if he was the pillow on her bed. He gazed down at the sleeping beauty in his lap as she nuzzled her face closer to his stomach, and he hissed as silently as possible when her cheek grazed his crotch.

He had his phone out in his hand scrolling through the emails that he had missed yesterday. Most were just executives checking in with him, sending him the aims of the week and their plans as well as what their progress was currently at. He normally wouldn't read them and would just let it sit there, only to use it when the team didn't meet their expectations. He had expected his team to be meeting the goals that they had set at the beginning of the week each week, and he would check in at random to catch them off-guard. They would be on track and would pass his inspections, but there were also a few occasions where the standards weren't meet.

However, that wasn't his concern at the moment. He wasn't checking his email at this ungodly hour because he wanted to see what his executive teams were up to, but he wanted to see the progress of the other project and he and Ros were working on together. The very same project that had him answering angry phone calls from Ros yesterday and also part of the reason why he went running back to Grey House.

Just like he had suspected, there was an email marked with highest importance from Ros regarding the urgent matter. He thought she could handle it herself whilst he spend twenty-four hours wooing his girl, but apparently he couldn't put work away. The email told him that after all she had attempted, they still needed to meet up to discuss because there were just too many problems that she needed to talk to him about.

"Jesus fuck," he sighed, making sure that his frustration and movements wouldn't disturb the comatose girl in his lap, even though he was pretty sure she could sleep through the toughest storm there was.

He stared at the screen ready to type back a response. He would usually tell her that he would meet her in the office but since he wasn't going to the office today as well, planning to spend it with Anastasia, he decided to just invite her over. She lived next door and had been neighbors with him ever since they started this company together when they were both in Harvard.

Ros didn't drop out like he did, and he remembered fussing about it when he pulled all-nighters one after another just to get shit done during her weeks of final exams. He knew he couldn't build this company without her and her connections, his parents weren't the most supportive throughout the company's early stages. He gained access to his trust fund when he turned eighteen and there was nothing his parents could do to stop him from using his trust fund money to start his company. They had all been trying to get him to stay in Harvard, but their efforts and empty threats had all been pointless. Christian had upset his parents greatly with his decision to drop out only after two years and thankfully his grandfather talked them out of their mindset.

 _Just stop by my place later today._

He typed and pressed send before he could think more about the decision. It wasn't the first time that he had invited her over, they had been going to each other's places since they first moved in because their attention on certain matters were constantly needed due to time zones. However, it had lessened when Ros started seeing Gwen, now her wife. It ceased altogether when he built a playroom in his penthouse and started to get submissives to come here for the weekends. He was sure that invitation was going to shock the hell out of Ros and she would probably take that chance to bring Gwen over to meet Anastasia, he was sure that Anastasia had charmed her way into his executive staff after just meeting them once.

Gazing down at the sleeping figure, he was tempted to run his fingers through her hair, knowing how soft they were and how smooth they actually were despite the waves that fooled a lot of people. He pocketed his phone, thinking that everything else that was sent to him could wait or dealt by the people working, there were no other emergencies.

It was peaceful and soothing to watch her sleep for some reason. He felt content just by having her close to him, despite who she actually was in the society, he felt safe around her. His gut instinct told him to trust her but his mind wasn't her biggest fan at the moment. Resting his other hand on to her head after peeling away a few strands that fell in front of her face. She didn't even move once and he was sure that she wasn't even aware of what he was doing.

Normally, he wouldn't allow his submissives to change their appearances without his approval, even if it was only a haircut. However, he had learned to accept whatever changes that Anastasia had. When they first met, her hair wasn't bleached and dyed with gray ombré, and he silently told her to never cut her hair or change her hair because he loved it just the way it was. Then, when she changed it, since it wasn't a formal written agreement that the submissive should ask for permission to change their appearance, he couldn't fault her for dyeing it. Surprisingly though, he had found it refreshing, and somewhat agreeing with her that her original hair color was a little dull and uninteresting. He, too, liked her new hair style.

Her hair now was still in its natural wavy brown color, only the color started to become lighter when it reached the mid-section. There was still a faint trace of the gray that she dyed her hair in, but overall, the color had faded and the bleach blonde hair was what remained. He didn't think he could look at another blonde after Elena, but the color on this girl's hair, transitioned from her natural brown to bleach, never made him thought of Elena. He only had that thought flash through his mind when he religiously categorized it as blonde.

While playing with her hair, his mind drifted back to her life before him.

She said her best friend was Katherine Kavanagh. The name sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he didn't remember who she was until he saw that picture of his brother with her. A photo that Elliot had sent him almost a month into his contract with Anastasia. She was a student from University of Southern California, majoring in their best subject, journalism. He didn't even think twice about the request for an interview before rejecting it. He was only twenty-three at the time and had just made his first billion. His reputation had rocketed across the country and he was hounded by the press all day, everyday. Naturally, the thought of another successor to the media frenzy wouldn't at all appeal to him.

Though, he was surprised to see that the request he got when he was twenty-three was just this girl testing the waters and leaving an impression, because her relentless harassing of his office started around the time in her final semester in college, where she needed a masterpiece to graduate as well as secure herself a decent job. He saw through it, but granted the interview, liking how she was determined and also very well-strategized.

Her interview left a very different impression on him. He could tell that she wasn't his fan, and that she had an attitude but was doing her best to rein it in. Her questions were insightful and interesting. He liked the angle she tackled the interview from. He was expecting an interview starting with the question: _to what do owe your success, Mr Grey?_

Needless to say, she nailed the interview, and he almost considered giving her the option of a job opportunity in his company, but he knew that her aim was Seattle Times, so his company would only be a springboard. One that apparently she wouldn't need.

He didn't know much about Kate as a person, but from what he had observed from the short interview that she had conducted and the article that she wrote, he could see how she was similar to Anastasia. He could see them being friends and doing stuff that he didn't approve of together, but somehow, no matter how alike they were, he didn't think Kate was the tough kind like Steele.

His trip down memory lane was cut off by the notification sound from a phone, and he was sure that it wasn't his. Searching for the source of the series of alert, he finally found it in the pocket of his jacket that he lent to Anastasia. Pulling it out only with the thought of turning it to silence, but his thumb was accidentally on the bellybutton of the phone, unlocking it and revealing the content of the messages. His interest piqued when he read that it was from someone called _SB_. He scrolled through the Notification Center, careful not to press into it so it would still be marked unread when she looked into the message inbox. His interest soon turned to jealousy when he read that he started the thread started with

 _Chick save me_

Then a photo that he couldn't see clearly since it was only a small thumbnail. Then the next line was

 _Lily is a pain in my fucking ass_

 _I need u here_

 _It's sooo boring without ya_

Then there was another photo. All he could make out was that it was a blonde girl in it, so he assumed that it was Lily.

 _Btw, strip-tease knows abt the name_

 _And_

 _I think she knows that u were the one who gave her that name_

 _Damn_

 _That should be on YouTube_

 _Fuck u for being a chicken_

 _Shit I sound like I'm fucking drunk_

 _I didn't drink_

 _I swear_

 _I may have British blood but I don't drink beer_

 _Just like u_

 _And u know it_

 _Fuck I hate motherfucking jet lags_

 _Son of a bitch_

 _I just got back from the UK and I'm sure I'll be swaying on the fucking dance floor tonight_

And the messages kept coming, similar ones of them lamenting. He had no idea who the person was, or what they were talking about. From what Anastasia had told him about herself, this person was more likely a guy. Hence the jealousy.

Then before he could lock the screen and put the phone back, another message came and it wasn't from this _SB_ guy. It was from _Claire_.

 _Ana_

 _That fucker was there again_

 _Oh my god_

 _U have no idea what he did_

 _I was so thankful that I dumped his sorry ass before he could do anything else other than fuck anything with a vagina_

 _U were such a good judge of character_

 _And I meant it_

Christian frowned the series of texts, he wondered why people these days wouldn't send everything together, but send it a sentence at a time. Sometimes it wasn't even a sentence, it was just one phrase. He would always type the whole thing no matter how long it was.

Claire continued, and the names that she was bringing up was what left tons of answered questions in his mind that he had to ask Anastasia later.

 _Donavan still don't plan on giving up_

 _U should've taken him to the Fight Club sooner_

 _And I'm sure that'll shut him up_

 _He thought ur an easy conquest_

 _Look how that turned out_

 _Oh and Hannah wanted me to tell u that she'll be in Cali soon again_

 _Will Luke be there?_

 _U should do something about them_

 _U were so devastated when they broke up_

 _We need a plan bc she is still sulking over him_

He didn't dare assume but he was pretty sure that this Claire was one of his ex-submissives. Anastasia had told him that she knew this girl when she saw the name in the folder. So she must've left something for him. Then there was Hannah and Luke. Both were names that he had heard before from the conversation between his security members.

The more he read her texts the more questions he had, so he had decided to just leave it and let it vibrate. Adjusting the back of the seat to lay back a little, he closed his eyes as his hand started to play with her hair. His mind automatically went back to the negotiation that he and Ros was stuck on.

The owner, Stephen Morton, has been willing to sell at the price they had previously agreed on, but all of a sudden, he had a change of heart and said that he would like to think about selling again. This angered him to no end, he felt like he was being played, and when he was humiliated, the other person would have hell to pay.

They didn't even approach Morton to make him explain the questionable figures in his records, he huffed. To say the least, the only reason why he was even considering buying it was because he liked the company but didn't like the current CEO and owner who was managing it. They were doing a shit poor job at keeping their heads above water let along staying afloat.

Little did he know though, he was dealing with a guy that he would've look at with contempt if he just did a little more research and connect some dots...

...

He had had submissives who disliked the ordinary safe word of red and yellow, and had requested to change the form. He had granted permission but their words weren't interesting either, it was just what they were comfortable with. Some used the words that they used with their previous Dom and not that he minded, but it was sometimes cringing to hear those words in a normal conversation after it was used in the playroom. Anastasia, too, had rejected the ordinary ones and opted for her own ones. Though hers made him laugh.

 _"You want to use different safe words?"_

 _"Yes," she nodded in confirmation. They weren't in a scene and strictly speaking, she didn't need to address him as Sir when they were negotiating._

 _"Okay, what do you have in mind?" He inquired._

 _"Cable."_

 _"Cable?"_

 _"To stop."_

 _"Okay," Christian chuckled, it was hard to not let one out with her interesting choice._

 _"Rope."_

 _"To slow down?"_

 _She nodded. He didn't want to lose his stance but he couldn't help but laugh at her choice, she scowled at him but he could tell that she wasn't feeling affronted, her scowl was playful._

 _"Sure." He agreed. "Cable and Rope." He chuckled, "fuck, this is going to be fun. Why not cable ties?" He asked out of curiosity._

 _"It's too long." She shrugged nonchalantly._

 _"Shall we try it out?" He stood up from his seat. He didn't know why he found her interesting choice of safe words extremely funny, he had never laughed at anything a submissive had said. The only submissive that he had a normal conversation with was Susannah and even that didn't make him laugh. For some reason he just felt relaxed around the girl._

 _She took his hand and followed him out of his office. She was no longer flushed and her eyes seemed to be glinting with excitement. He knew she was also amused by her choices and he wondered just how long did she spent thinking of the words._

 _"Five minutes, playroom." He ordered. Anastasia bowed her head and headed to her room to change. He mentally planned out the scene in his head on his way to his room. Whatever this girl did would always end up entertaining him, and he had yet to get annoyed when she skirted around the rules, hence he never felt like punishing her._

 _This time, he wanted to make her squirt and he had made it his goal to catch her squirt with his mouth. He never had the desire to go down a submissive like that, an intense session never made them squirt. He had never made it his mission to catch it either. He had heard men pride themselves with it but it just wasn't appealing to him._

He could feel himself getting hard underneath her, and he didn't want to wake her by poking his hard dick in her cheek, so he had to force himself to think of other things. For instance, Stephen fucking Morton.

"Taylor, what do you know about Stephen Morton?"

"Sir?" He was caught off guard by that question. He was more dumbfounded by the question when he recalled that this was the guy who he was trying to buy the company from. "Luke Sawyer was in charge of the background checks for business associates." He reminded Christian.

Before Anastasia, Sawyer was the Head of Security in Grey House, he was Taylor's second in command. Taylor would check the background for his submissives since he was Grey's personal security guard, but anything business related would be conducted by Sawyer. If there were any red flags, he would be notified but usually there weren't many. Grey had made it clear to not mix business with pleasure, so the background checks of the subs and the business people were never mixed or connected. It never occurred to them that he would find a submissive that would be related to any of the business associates. For Anastasia, Taylor had done the standard check, because she wasn't introduced by Elena which meant there was no connection and thus an extensive check wouldn't be needed.

"Ryan and Reynolds are now in charge of Grey House security since Sawyer has been assigned to Miss Steele, sir." Taylor reminded.

"Tell them to look into Stephen Morton. Something isn't right about him."

Taylor nodded. "Sir." Making a mental note to leave a message for the two. He felt like he should probably overlook the investigation for this Morton guy.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	15. FOURTEENTH HOUR

_**FOURTEENTH HOUR**_

"Stephen Morton? Did you just say that?" Anastasia sat up abruptly, her eyes wide open and she looked wide awake. "I would never dream of interfering with your work, Christian, but this guy, I really gotta ask."

"Yeah," Christian answered, alarmed at her reaction. "I thought you were going to sleep through storm."

"No, not this one." She grimaced, she would agree to his statement under any other circumstance, but this was just not one of them. "Gotta sleep with one eye open when this man is concerned."

"What do you mean?" He asked her, now confused and alerted. "Is he a threat?"

"It depends," she said after thinking for a moment.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Christian glanced up at the rear view mirror to meet Taylor's eyes, he was listening to the whole exchange intently and he, too, had found her reaction to the name more than alarming.

"I have to tell Pig." She muttered.

"Ana," Christian called again when she obviously wasn't going to answer his questions. "I'm confused here."

"You don't have to concern yourself with anything. Keep doing business or whatever you're trying to do with him. Just forget that I had this reaction." She twisted her body, looking around and searching for something. "Where's my phone again?" She wondered under her breath.

"It's in my pocket." He answered but didn't bother getting it for her since he was irritated that she just brushed him off like that. Still, that didn't stop her from reaching into his pocket to feel for her phone.

"It's nearly four thirty, he must be up already." She mumbled, unlocking her phone, completely ignoring all the messages that covered her lock screen from her various friends. Opening the text message app, she contemplated texting or calling, but if she called she wouldn't know what she should say, so she opted for text.

 _Grey's doing business with Morton?!_

She sent to his private cell. She knew his work cell would be monitored and what she was going to tell him would be somewhat private and unknown but Christian, just yet.

Just as she had suspected, the reply came back instantly.

 _Ye_

 _Why didn't you tell me?_

She typed back furiously. Her brows were furrowed and her fingers were gripping at the edge of her phone tightly.

 _You told me to low-key look out for him_

 _Never told me to tell you anything about him_

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

 _I assumed that you don't know anything about him_

 _Why didn't you tell me that he's in business with Grey?_

 _You know what, remind me to call Ray, you're useless_

She didn't know what to think of this miscommunication, but she had other important matters, such as explaining to Grey what the situation was.

His reply was blatantly ignored by her, and she didn't even bother to read them. She just left them unopened and groaned out loud.

"I go way back with this fucker." She tossed her phone randomly toward the seats and turned to Christian, leaning back against the window to face him. Christian frowned at her.

"Is he a threat?"

"Not to you."

"So he is one to you then."

"I don't know how to even describe him." She whined, evading the question or statement completely, "the fucker is coward, he won't do shit unless he thinks he's definitely going to avoid any consequences or not get caught. He has grand plans that he would never dare to carry out." She explained.

"He's still a threat." He judged.

"I can fend for myself," she told him.

"I know you can, but I still need to know."

"Why? For my safety? There's really no need, Christian. He won't make a move unless I'm alone at some deserted place where no one will ever see or find out that I've been kidnapped. I've got enough friends to find out the second that I disappear and I've got enough publicity to not get abducted under public eyes."

"Your point being?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes at his attitude, she knew he was going to make a huge fuss out of it when he heard this and that was also one of the reasons why she had been withholding this piece of information.

"Let me start from the beginning. We have time right?"

"Another hour or so. So, start talking." He demanded.

"This guy, the fucker, is an ex of my mother's." She started, going into story-telling mode. Lately for some reason, she was constantly in that mode. Christian's life paled compared to hers, not only her past but also the lifestyle that she lived in, and he was really someone that should be living like her. With his wealth and status in the society, he wasn't supposed to have so many worries; he was supposed to be living his life to the fullest and feel content.

He frowned, not understanding the meaning behind it but he had decided not to rush her because her stories all seemed complicated and long.

"My mom dumped him because he's a coward, and went with a braver man, my father. Not only because he is a coward, but Carla also told him that he wasn't paying her enough attention, so she left him." She paused, to gather her thoughts. "Morton, not only a coward but also a grudge holder. Man, he can hold a grudge longer than he can live. He thinks he was humiliated by Carla when he got dumped, so he had been holding it against her. Ray doesn't know about this but I read it from Carla's diary."

Picking up her phone from the crack between the seats, she started to fiddle with it between her fingers. Spinning it or just feeling the cold metal against her fingertips.

"Morton came from money, but his powerful and wealthy relatives were all dead by the time he inherited from his father. Him being the squanderer in his family, doesn't know jack shit about anything. When Carla was still with him, his family relatives were still alive and well, and he had been going around spending all his money gambling and playing. I don't know why Carla stayed with him, she was definitely blind."

She sighed, looking away for a moment just to press down the memories of her mother. It was still a little painful for her to think about it, even though it was more than two decades ago.

"After moving back from Chicago, my dad got a job as a detective in LAPD. Morton was also in LA, and he was once reported for sexual harassment. Ray was the leading officer of the case, and he wouldn't allow him to pay his way out of the mess, so he was now holding a grudge against Ray because he paid consequences for his actions."

"Does he know about your parents?"

"What? That my mom left him for Ray? No," she scoffed, "that guy would only go apeshit if he doesn't have money to spend. He didn't even bother finding Carla after she left him in Utah? I don't even remember which state they were in."

"What happened next?"

"He wanted to seek revenge on Ray for making a dent in his money, but by the time he came up with a _bulletproof_ plan that would ensure himself to not get in trouble, Ray had already joined the military." She laughed at that thought, she remembered him showing up at their house one afternoon demanding to see Ray. "Why he didn't just take me for ransom was beyond me, but I guess it was just him not wanting to take any responsibilities for his actions."

"Do you think he's behind your mother's death?"

"Possibly, but then again, he only has money to offer those pricks. Wait," her eyes suddenly lit up with a theory. "You might be right. He is a vengeful guys and those cunts that stabbed my mom were pretty inexperienced."

"If that's the case, then…"

"I know where this is going, Christian. Let me finish my story first before you start to press me about security. I've been fine all those years without any CPOs, I don't need one now."

"But," he was going to argue with her about being a public figure and also being with him.

"Just listen!" She glared. "When Ray came back from the Special Force, he couldn't do anything to him because that'd make him pay even higher prices for attacking an ex-military man with honorable discharge. Then, Ray became a PI, so he started to dig into Morton."

"And when was that?"

"Probably like a few years ago? When I was in UCLA." She recalled. "He told me about him and told me to watch out because a guy like Morton wouldn't rest without having some kind of results."

"That's just contradicting."

"Yes, I know. He likes to plan out every single detail of everything so that he doesn't have to take responsibilities later on if shit hits the fan. Same with his plans to abduct me for ransom. My dad had hacked into his database and found out all sort of things that he had planned. All of his plans consist of getting me alone, hence my publicity through Instagram and social media platforms, also my constant appearances in parties."

"That's not the sole reason you party."

"No, I'll admit that's not, but that's one of the reasons why I know so many people and are always in the crowd even though I stand out most of the times."

"So, your dad has looked into it, and he's been after you for years, yet you've done nothing about it."

"Well, what's there for me to be done? I don't have concrete proof to throw his ass in jail. And, I am always with Kate or Sean, and both of them have bodyguards following them. Besides, now that I'm with you, I also got a bodyguard."

"So you knew."

"About what? The tail? Jeez, that's the easy part. I saw him the first day he started to shadow me, I just never said anything about it. Luke can come in handy sometimes."

There was a hint of familiarity in her tone that he picked up and he wasn't sure how to approach her with a question.

"Does he know about the threat?"

"Yeah, but I told him to just keep an eye out. It's nothing serious so there is definitely no need for him to alert either of you." She shrugged, gesturing to Grey and Taylor. "I told you I'm handling it. I've been handling it since I was born technically."

"No," Christian disagreed, "you never had a confrontation with him."

"Maybe not after the one time, but I know who did." She was now wracking her brain to evoke the name of the girl that he had harassed. "Susie?" She wondered. "No, that's what her friends call her. She left the country because she believed that Morton was trying to hunt her down after reporting sexual harassment to the policemen."

He stared at her, not following her logic one bit.

"Susannah," she blurted out suddenly, "yes, that's her name. Susannah Deyanira. I remember thinking that I liked her last name." She announced. The sound of the name deepened the frown on Christian's face, and it also caught Taylor's attention. "You look like you know her."

"I do," he admitted quietly, knowing that there was no way he could explain his way out of it, because she could read people just as well as he could.

"Ex-sub?" He nodded. "Cool, maybe you can tell me more about her more some time." She suggested absentmindedly because her mind was still on Morton. "The last time I heard about Morton and his activity was that he was trying to sell everything so he could just drain his savings before he die, probably of overdose." She mused out loud. "My dad suspected that I knew something that he didn't want me to know about, so he was very determined to get to me. My guess is that he thinks I know about his involvement in my mom's death, and now that I've been all over the internet, I'd go after him since I've got friends everywhere. The loser probably felt insecure." She finished her monologue completely forgetting that she was talking to Christian.

"You never told your dad about your mom's accident?"

"No. What could I possibly tell him about? I was just a kid and had no fucking clue what had happened."

"No, I mean later on."

"Oh, no. I didn't tell him what I had suspected. I only tell him what I know not what I think I do."

"Taylor, why don't I know about Susannah's connection with this fucker?"

"Sir, I never came in contact with your business background checks, it was Sawyer. The connection was never made because Miss Deyanira's background check and Morton's background check were done separately and were never shared."

"I should probably call it off."

"No, don't let it influence on how you conduct your business, Christian."

"It concerns your safety, and I'm not going to deal with some fucker who's threatening you."

"Christian, if you don't buy that company from him, it's going to crumble anyway, and the unemployment rate will skyrocket. If you buy that company, at whatever price, you're cutting off his only source of stable income."

"I can always bankrupt him."

"That's also an option." She smirked suggestively at him, telling him that it was exactly what she think he should do, but she wouldn't say it out loud, because she had said that she wouldn't cast any influence over his business dealings.

"Okay, I'll weigh my options, and you'll know that he won't be knowing what hit him after I'm done with him." He smirked back, understanding that she was supporting the idea of bankrupting him.

"Sure, whatever you deem suitable."

They fell into comfortable silence. Well, comfortable in her end but not his.

Going through his mind at that moment were thoughts of her and her friends. There was this _SB_ and a _Claire_ and now that with the situation about Luke Sawyer.

"I've got some questions for you," he started, having no idea just how he this conversation may turn out.

"Okay."

"I'll confess that I've looked at your messages."

"Okay," she shrugged again, "you don't have to tell me that you did, it's the whole point of having your fingerprint on my phone."

"Who is SB?" He just asked upfront because she didn't seem worried or alarmed at his confession which meant she had nothing to hide.

"Sean Barclay."

"Ah, him."

"Yes, him. What did he send me?" He stared at her with questioning look, because he was sure that when she unlocked her phone earlier, there was no way that she had went through the unread messages in the notification center that fast. "One thing you should know about him is that, this guy will never stop texting me. Which is why I call him gay."

"But he's not gay."

"No, far from it. A lot of girls crush on him."

"You're not one of them?"

"I did when I was in primary school." She grinned, "but no he's not my type. He's too… unmanly?"

"Unmanly." He laughed.

"Not masculine enough." She elaborated.

"And what about me?" He teased but she just turned away from him with an irritated look on her face, which made him chuckle.

"But seriously though, what did he send me this time?"

"Why can't you just go and read it yourself?"

"I'm a lazy-ass. Don't act like it's the first day you know me."

"He called you babe," he paused waiting for her to react, but when she didn't he figured that it was probably a common thing between them. "Then he said he missed you, saying that you should be there with him. He sent you a bunch of pictures too. Oh, and he also said something about a Lily being a pain in the ass."

Anastasia let out a lop-sided grin upon hearing that. "Strip-tease." She chuckled. "Lily's his younger sister." She explained. He looked incredulous at that revelation. "Not everyone treats their sisters like you and Elliot treat Mia."

"We aren't exactly nice to her either."

"Yeah, but the age gap makes you naturally protective of her and that also ensures that your sister feels loved. Lily is spoiled by her parents but since her age is close to Sean and their eldest son, she gets bullied constantly. She's the princess at home and Sean and his brother always take advantage of their parents' lack of attention on them to pull pranks and do shit to annoy the princess."

"Won't they get in trouble?"

"Yeah, but their parents generally don't care about the boys." She explained, and from the look on Christian's face, she knew that it was all foreign to him. Which further proved that he grew up in a loving family, it was the pimp that tainted everything.

"Why strip-tease?"

"Because she strips when she gets drunk."

"And you called her that?"

"Yeah, what a nice name for her. It suits her." She shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with her statements. "I probably have something to do with her stripping, but I don't really care. I've warned her and there's nothing I can do to stop her from stripping herself if she wants to. She seemed pretty adamant about stripping, always wanting to show-off her body."

"There're videos of it."

"Yes, and Sean suggested that we post it on YouTube, but I stopped him, and he's been calling me a chicken ever since."

"Well, you were right to stop him. He's a cruel brother."

"I told you that you grew up in a fantasy household. Everything in your family is perfect, from the relationship to the individual."

"Why is he texting you at four in the morning?"

"He just got back from England probably."

"Hmm," he hummed, leaning back to the head rest, trying to think of blanks that needed to be filled immediately. "Next topic," he announced, "someone called Claire also texted you."

"Claire? Why would she text me? She never texts me. It's always Hannah. We aren't even that close. I hardly consider her as a friend."

He shrugged, "she mentioned someone named Donavan."

"That's her ex."

"Hannah and Luke?"

Anastasia gasped. "They're my OTP. One true pair." She explained when he appeared puzzled. "This is your ex-sub by the way." She added on second thought. "Claire McKinley."

"Ah yes, I remember you telling me that you know her." He muttered to himself. "What was she talking about?"

"I don't know, never saw her messages." She shrugged, "didn't you read them?"

"Yeah, but I don't understand."

"Then tell me what was said, and I'll decipher it for you."

"Donavan, who is he?"

"Claire's ex."

"We've established that. She said something about Fight Club."

"He's challenged me for a rematch because the last time we were there, he lost to me. Other than that, I don't know what's his deal with me. He gives me that vibe that I owe him something but I don't know when I've offended him."

"She sounded like she hates him."

"Oh yes, she does."

"What's Donavan's full name?"

"He's called Paul Clayton, but he likes to go by his middle name, Donavan." She looked at him waiting for his reaction, when he tilted his head, she knew what he was going to ask next, so she said. "Don't ask, no one knows that goes through his shit-filled head."

"Fine," he conceded, "then what's she talking about this _OTP_ of yours."

"Ah," she slumped back to her seat and looked out the window, trying to come up with an answer that would make him freak out. It was bound to come out anyways, and she didn't plan on keeping anything from him, it was just that she feared that he couldn't handle the truth, yet he liked to ask questions. "About that…"

"Yes, about that."

"You're not going to like what you hear… actually, no, you'll be fine with it, but you definitely won't like the whole story." She sat back up, straighter in her seat. Pulling her feet up after taking her shoes off and hugging her knees, she stared at him contemplating on how she was going to start with another narration.

"You've got another story to share?"

"Yeah," she grimaced. "It won't be the ugliest one, but it won't be the prettiest one either."

"I'll take my chances. I've doing that a lot lately, and I think whatever it is, I'll probably handle it."

"I don't think you can handle it, but you'll survive and get over it. That I'm pretty sure of."

"What you're saying isn't going to make me like it any more than I do right now, so why don't you just start talking."

"Luke, whose full name is Luke Sawyer." She could hear the sharp intake of breath from Christian and she knew that it struck a nerve with him. But, she continued, because if she didn't she wouldn't get the story out, and it would only complicate matters in the future. "He is my security guard assigned by you after I became your submissive." She was still going to spoon feed him everything about her past, but she also wanted him to believe that she wasn't going to hide anything from him and there wouldn't be any secrets between them, at least she wouldn't be keeping anything from him. "But, we met when I was a freshman." She then started to recount the story of how they met and how they become close friends.

"The tattoo convention." He interrupted before she could continue with her story-telling. "Who did you go with?"

"Ethan," she replied, thinking it was obvious. "Who else would I go with? I don't have that many real friends."

"You have a lot of fuck buddies?" He poked on purpose.

"No!" That was offensive and even Anastasia felt that but she was going to let it go, because she knew she would be a lot to take in for a guy like him. "Despite how I seem to be, I don't fuck around with people I picked up from parties or bars. I do long-term relationships, I don't do one-night stands, never had one and never will have one. I can count how many sexual partners I have with one hand." There was an unintentional jab, but with the way she was feeling at the moment, she didn't feel like apologizing. "I'll list it for you. Ethan, my first. José, my boyfriend in high school. Then there's… fuck!" She snapped out loud. "Keep an open mind about the last person, yeah?" She warned, "the last person that I've had a sexual relationship with before you was Luke." She said, letting the cat out of the bag, finally.

"Sawyer?"

"Yes."

"Well he's fucking fired."

"Why? That's hardly fair to him isn't it? Stop being unreasonable, Christian. We had a brief relationship."

"How brief?"

"A few months."

"That's hardly brief is it? We only had three months." He spat back.

"Luke and I agreed that it was a mistake and we caved in our moments of weakness. We promised to move on and forget about it again. It was in the past, we have accepted it, and I want you to accept it as well. I didn't tell you this just so you can go yell at Luke, I told you all about me because I want us to work, and in order for that to happen, I don't want to keep any secrets from you. It's totally new for me, too. I don't tell anyone everything. None of my _real_ friends know everything about me, but I want you to know everything about me."

"So, all this time, you knew about a shadow because you knew Sawyer."

"If it was Belinda, I'd still have noticed, because I've grown to notice everything around me due to Stephen Morton. I have to be careful. I never let my guard down, and believe me, if I wasn't with people like Kate and Sean, who has security with them, I'd never get drunk."

"Then why the fuck are you going against me on the whole issue with security?"

"Because I've been coping just fine without security all those years."

"Ana," he sighed. There was no way that he could get through her. "Can we meet in the middle?" He never knew there would be a day for him to say the phrase that he had heard Ros and Gwen say so many times in the past.

"What's in the middle?"

"Keep at least one CPO with you."

"I'll agree to being tailed by one person." She bargained.

"How can they help you if they're not close enough?"

"It'll only attract even more attention if I have them next to me." She argued back. "Okay fine," she said abruptly, suddenly thought of an idea. "Since I know Luke and people in LA know that we're friends, he can be my CPO."

"So he's not going to be in uniform."

"No, and that doesn't matter. He doesn't need a suit and a tie to do his job. Besides, Luke and I work well together." He narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that she was implying that they had encountered some situations before. "We were confronted by Morton a while ago before I graduated, and it just happened that I was hanging out with Luke. It was pure coincidence, but at least now we both could size him up."

"What does that _encounter_ entail?" The way he said the work made it sound condescending.

"It really was just a minor event. We ran into each other. He didn't attempt anything big and no one was hurt. So, nothing happened. Just let it go."

He rolled his eyes but did as he was told. From his conversations with her in the past few hours, he knew that nothing would come out if he asked too many questions. He finally understood the phrase that Elliot kept telling him.

 _What you don't know won't hurt you._

With his company, he needed to know everything. With a business dealing, he had to know every last detail of the negotiating and the contract. Yet, with a relationship, especially with a girl like Anastasia, it would be best if he didn't ask for answers and just live with whatever he was told about. Nothing good had came out of his intense questionings with her so far, which led him to starting to believe the phrase from his notorious brother.

…

"Now that I'm on a roll here, I've got another question for you."

"Fire away," she cringed at the corniness of her reply but still listened for his question.

"Through this three months, you never once bled."

"Oh great, so now you're starting to talk about my personal problems." She lamented, "keep going, I'm not going to be embarrassed, but I think Jason is."

"Don't mind him," he said dismissively, knowing that Taylor would be filtering out whatever he didn't want to hear. "Were you ever on birth control?"

"I'm on the pill from time to time, to regulate my period, but I've been forgetting to take them since meeting you." She said, and he sucked in a breath. "I never took the Depo Shot because my period is already really really irregular and I don't want to mess with my hormones even more. Besides that doesn't guarantee a hundred percent success, so no, I'm not actually on any kind of prescribed birth control."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I've had a female vasectomy when I was eighteen, so there's no way that I can be pregnant even if we tried."

Christian stared at him in disbelief.

"What? I'm determined to not have kids, knowing that I'd be a terrible parent. All I'll probably be telling my kid would be 'shut the fuck up', and that's probably abuse from some perspectives." She shrugged. "I'm sure you don't want kids either." She justified.

"No," he answered a little absentmindedly. "I don't want kids, hence I've got a vasectomy when I was eighteen, too." He revealed. "I have protected sex until my partner is checked to be clean."

"So we're both good. Now that you know my biggest secret," she said sardonically, "What else is bothering you?"

"What if you want to have kids in the future?"

"The vasectomy can be reversed."

"There's no guarantee that you'd be fertile."

"Then that's my problem isn't it? Same questions can be applied to your case."

"I don't want kids. I mean, what kind of a father can I make? I don't even like kids. I never thought of a kid as cute and never would have described them as adorable."

"Well, same here. I don't like kids, never took an interest in them, so no, why would I want kids. Besides a kid is a responsibility that I'm not willing to take."

"You might want to have one in the future, when you found the right guy." He argued, "women always wants a family."

"What age do you live in, Christian? You're stereotyping, not to say sexist. Men can also want a family, it doesn't make them less masculine if your implying that women wanting a family is feminine."

"That's tradition."

"You should know that by now that I am far from traditional, Grey. If I'm traditional, I'd never be like that when you asked me to go to your parents house to meet them. If I'm traditional, you'd never see me in a bar or a gun range, because I would've settled down with someone like my high school sweetheart." She grimaced at the term, hating how it was perceived as sweet when she never enjoyed much of her time with him apart from those times when they were at parties having fun.

"So, you wouldn't cook, wouldn't do the laundry and do anything domestic?"

"I never said that, but I'd all do it for myself. If you want me to do your laundry, you have Gail, or better yet, if it was me, I'd tell you to do it yourself. If you don't know how, stuff it up your ass and let them clean themselves or learn how to wash them!" She huffed.

"All my subs cooked."

"Yeah, because they were required to do so."

"They wanted to."

"Good! That's why I'm not your sub anymore then. There, you got your reason! You're asking for too much from me, Christian. If you're looking for a wife, you're looking in the wrong direction."

"I'm not looking for a wife! I don't want to get married!"

"Funny how you portray women as your domestic help."

"Men work outside and women work at home!"

She said nothing else, wanting to just drop the subject now that they had learned a little bit more about each other. She really didn't there was the need to go into details as to why they made this choice, because frankly, it was for the best and in both of their interests.

The conversation with this dense douchebag was just making her want to hurl him out of the car. Alas, it was his car, so she couldn't do anything about it. Though, she was sure that Jason would've helped stop the car if she really wanted to do so.

Christian went back on replying to emails and checking in on his overseas branches. Anastasia had taken out her phone and started to go through the messages that had been blowing up her phone. Claire was somewhere out of the country with a time difference, for a conference or some work related stuff. Sean just got back from England and now she had to update the situation with Luke, aka Pig.

...

After leaving a message to her father about an update on Morton's current activities, especially his association with GEH and asked for a copy of his files, she started to scroll through her other unread messages. She thought of replying to the messages from Hannah from a long time ago, telling her about her impending trip down to Cali, Anastasia thought about telling her that she might not be in California at the time, but she kept forgetting, and now she just didn't feel like replying. Claire's were subsequently ignored, as always. She was someone that Anastasia could never get along with if Hannah wasn't buffering in between them. It was just awkward. She was the typical girl who would be looking at the latest fashion trend and spending money that she didn't even have just so that she could look good. Anastasia would often compare Luke's pretentiousness with Claire's, in which he took as an insult every time it was brought up. Anastasia would never understand how someone as laid back as Hannah would be best friends with a sensitive drama queen like Claire.

With Sean's message, she only clicked into it so she could see the photos that he had sent. There was one of Lily and the eldest Barclay brother, whom liked to be known by others as Cable, like the guy from the future in Deadpool 2. She rolled her eyes at the photo. To her, Sean was the only normal one in the family. Cable was as close to being an alcoholic as one could get, and to top of that, he had serious anger issues. Lily was the spoiled brat who had been encouraged by him and other people like Anastasia that stripping at a party while you're drunk out of your ass was cool. Anastasia thought the girl would be smart enough to detect the sarcasm in her tone when she said it, but apparently Sean was right about the smartness of his younger sister.

Anastasia sighed at the fucked up family that the Barclays were. They were pretty dysfunctional compared to the Greys, but she didn't know what a normal family would be like since she had never had any experience in one of them. Sean was always complaining about Lily and had gave up on even sparing a glance at Cable. Anastasia had been hearing stories of his siblings and parents since they became best friends in high school. She wasn't a fan of his parents, just like he wasn't either, hence her reason of declining every invitation from him to go to his family dinners with him. She would rather get an earful of his sufferings later than enduring the torture of his awkward family dinners with him.

Beneath Luke, Claire and Sean's messages, there were also some from Ethan.

 _Hey chick_

 _I found a bowling place_

 _Fuck_

 _I mean karting place_

 _In Berkeley_

 _It's pretty close to ur campus_

 _Tho idk where u live_

 _But check it out_

Then attached was a link. She clicked into that link, hoping that it wasn't a click bait like the one he sent her last time which led her to a porn website. It wasn't that she'd never watched porn before but she certainly wouldn't be watching it with some guy that she had never wanted to get all dirty and kinky with. Sure they had a sexual history, but all they did back then was have vanilla sex, which was plain and traditional.

That memory still made her laugh though, because that was only him returning the favor since she started this whole click bait prank thing. Though not the first prank that she had pulled but it was only one that she had pulled on Ethan.

The webpage showed a decent looking karting track and some kart which looked new. She then browsed through the page trying to get the price. Her eye brows lifted when she saw that it was actually closed on the day of her actual birthday.

 _That place is fucking closed on my birthday_

 _And_

 _The price_

 _U plan on paying or what motherfucker_

She added an emoji of an eye roll. The price was ridiculous and the place was too popular that it seemed like it was always booked.

 _Do u have a budget or what?_

 _And since when do u have budget limits?!_

Anastasia rolled her eyes at his instant reply. She never had a budget limit because she's never buy anything that she wasn't desperately in need of. She wouldn't spend money on anything other than essentials. Her father didn't give her a limit on her spending knowing that she would rarely spend money. She may own fancy clothings and luxurious brands, but that was because she had rich friends. People who really knew her would know that she lived a very simple life, a completely different one that she had painted to others.

 _No_

 _I don't have a budget_

 _But_

 _The price is just fucking ridiculous_

 _It's not worth it_

 _And why tf r u talking to me this early_

 _U never get up before noon_

She typed back. The reply came just as instant as the previous ones.

 _Paper due_

 _If ur not on a budget then treat ur self with that karting place_

Anastasia huffed at his logic. There were far more cheaper places for karting than that one, it was really unnecessary and redundant for her to choose one with a price that she wasn't willing to pay.

 _There's this thing called_

 _Opportunity costs_

 _Something that poor people think of when they plan their spending_

She replied, almost poking a hole into the keyboard with the frustration she was feeling at the moment.

 _Oh come on_

 _Ur not poor_

 _U went to a fucking private school in fucking LA!_

She rolled her eyes and exited the chat. The conversation was just meaningless and she knew she could never make him understand her reasoning.

Scrolling down her chat list, José and Jack's name caught her eyes. They never texted her, and she didn't even know that they still had her number.

Jack's told her to see the picture from José, so she did.

Clicking into José's texts, she couldn't help but gasped. "Fuck!"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	16. FIFTEENTH HOUR

_**FIFTEENTH HOUR**_

 _Clicking into José's texts, she couldn't help but gasped. "Fuck!"_

Her strong reaction piqued Christian's interest, his head snapped up and whipped in her direction. She saw his movements out of the corner of her eyes, but she didn't want to explain anything to him knowing that if she locked eyes with him he'd ask.

Enlarging the picture, she moved the screen closer to her face as if the picture wasn't clear enough. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. When Hannah told her that she had started seeing this guy that they both knew soon after breaking up with Luke, she thought it was some guy that she didn't know...

However, lo and behold, it was the notorious SIP editor, Jack Hyde.

Then when she turned to identify the girl standing next to José, looking very cozy together. It was none other than Hannah's best friend, Claire.

"Well, shit." She muttered darkly. She had no idea how much contact there was between Luke and Hannah, and she didn't know how much they had told each other about their lives. She was reluctant to leave Luke out of the loop when it came to Hannah, because after all, if she had to choose between Luke and Hannah, she'd vouch for Luke.

Just when she was about to reply, she saw a glimpse of two very familiar faces at the background as the picture returned to its original size.

"Oh fuck," she breathed out, risking a glance upward, just in time to meet Christian's heated gaze. His brows were furrowed as usual, and his lips were pressed into a thin line, obviously putting up an attitude thinking that she was deliberately ignoring him, when she was just too engrossed in what she had just discovered.

"Care to share?" He lifted a perfect brow challengingly.

"You're probably not going to like it."

"Have I liked any stories that came out of your mouth?" He countered.

"Ouch," she murmured. It was true but it still stung, though she wasn't going to tell him that those words were hurtful, because she'd probably say something similar. She had gotten used to harsh comments from people, but she'd never knew it'd be different coming from someone that she cared about.

"What's it about?"

"We should enjoy what you have planned first before delving into our pasts again, don't you think?" She suggested thoughtfully. "I really don't want to ruin the mood, though there isn't much left..."

"You mean your past, Anastasia." She was taken aback by his harsh tone. Not that she wasn't anticipating a much different reaction, she never thought she'd care if someone had expressed their disappointment in her.

Her attitude had always been one of the traits that made people hate her or drawn people to her, but all those times, she had never gave a shit about what their comments of her were; until now, until him.

"Quite frankly, I've got no life compared to yours. My past is private, simple and always in a routine and yours are just complicated and all over the place."

"Then what the fuck do you expect me to do?" She bit back, she really was terrible at controlling her mood in early mornings when she wasn't exactly fully awake. "I admit that I've got a past. I'll admit whatever accusations you throw at me, because it'll probably all be true. I know that I probably have the bigger problem here than you. You've been fucking and beating women black and blue, oh wait, let's not forget about a pedophile pimp that you call friend..."

"She's just an acquaintance. She can supply me subs so that I don't have to show my face. I have been wary of her, I have done precautions to protect myself. But you on the other hand, you don't do shit to protect yourself. You're always out in the open, under the spotlight, and just simply drawing attention to yourself. Ask yourself just how many people do you know."

"Out of all the people that I know, just how many of them are my friends, and just how many people are there that I want to share my life with? I think I can count it with one hand. Then, there's your pedophile. I never said anything about your, whatever that is you have with her. You told me that you haven't contact her for a long time, and I believe you. And, frankly, I don't care who you're fucking friends with, Christian." She raised her voice, glaring at him. "I don't care who you're friends with as long as they don't come in between us. I don't care if you're still in contact with Elena, because she's your friend not mine. I won't promise that I'd be nice to that woman when I see her but I won't let my feelings for her influence your whatever with her. If you want to hangout with her like friends do, then do it. Everyone has friends and they hangout together, I get that, and I'm not in the position to judge who anyone's friends with. You could be friends with a fucking rapist or a serial killer and I'd still won't say anything about it. I think we're both old enough to be a good judge of character and see who're the ones we can really trust and who're not."

"I'm not friends with her," he stressed. "She's not a pedophile. She may be hardcore and fake, but she's not a pedophile." He corrected.

"Again, I don't have to agree with you but I won't say anything about it. If you believe that she's not, then she's not. But, may I ask, just how did she introduce you to this lifestyle since you've only fucked her once and you gave me the general impression that you don't exactly like her old cunt?"

"I refused to go to her dungeon to be her submissive, but I did agree to go into the room to let her show me everything." He glared at her, "she had a man over for demonstrations."

"Wait, so you were with a man?"

"No, she wanted to train me as a submissive initially. Hence that man."

"But you're clearly not submissive material."

"No, and she realized that, so she started to have women there to show me how to be a Dominant. Now that I think of it, she was borderline hardcore and abusive, it wasn't BDSM, because there were hardly any pleasure. It was all whipping and caning. She said I need to channel my anger, but hitting someone isn't the way to let out my anger, at least that's what Grace has been stressing in our home growing up."

"And, did you play with the sub?"

"No! I don't even know why I allowed her to bring me to her dungeon, but I guess I was curious about the _method_ she claimed that she had to rein in my anger. I mean, I do think that it sort of taught me a new lifestyle."

"I think we're here." She muttered, scanning the area around as the car drove into what looked like an airfield. She didn't want their topic of discussion to hamper the mood, even though it had been what kept happening recently. She was well aware of the fact that being completely honest and open with him were causing more problems than she had anticipated. Moreover, she thought she could get her past out in the open to him quick and fast like ripping off a bandaid, but she was again proven wrong.

He had been numbed by her confessions and pasts already, and she didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Perhaps spending the entire twenty-four hours with him in close proximity wasn't a good idea.

When her eyes finally returned to the inside of the car, she caught him staring at her in an unreadable expression. Maybe he was thinking about the same thing?

"Gliding?" She asked, remembering what Kate had told her about him and his hobbies after her hard-earned interview with him.

"Soaring," he corrected.

"Right," she murmured under her breath, recalling the term that Kate had noted down. "Soaring," she repeated.

"Ready?" He asked with a sigh. At that moment, the entire atmosphere in the car was rather stifling and uncomfortable.

There were conversations that had to be had, and there were problems that the couple had to face, but apparently, those issues surfaced at the wrong place and at the wrong time. She knew she had somehow killed the mood, just like she had ruined a lot of happiness by opening her mouth.

"Yeah," she nodded quietly, unconsciously drawing her bottom lip in between her teeth. She didn't even know that he was staring at her lips until he rescued them from her teeth with his thumb.

"Don't," he whispered inaudibly.

At that moment, she wished she could get rid of her habit of biting her lip whenever she felt uncomfortable or nervous. She knew that would turn him on whenever he saw it, just like his lop-sided grin that she loved so much.

He stepped out of the car before she could find something to say to ease the air around them. Turning back to face the inside of the car, he offered a hand for her to take, helping her out of the SUV. Taylor stood beside the door waiting for them to exit so he could close it and park the car somewhere else.

"Check your email, Taylor." Christian told his bodyguard before guiding Anastasia toward another man who rushed forward to meet them.

Anastasia didn't question the odd instruction from Christian, mainly because she had no idea of their working dynamic. Though, she was pretty sure that their employer wouldn't need to tell their employee to check their email, since it should be done automatically. At least, that was what she had gathered from the little conversations she had overheard between Sean's father and Sean's bodyguard.

"Mr Grey!" The young man who had been waiting by the field grasped on to Christian's outstretched hand with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Jesus fuck," Anastasia exclaimed under her breath, clearly startled by the enthusiasm shown from the man. Her face remained friendly, with a smile plastered on it. It wasn't genuine but it was enough for a stranger.

"Hello Noah," he nodded and shook his hand before releasing it quickly. "Ben?"

"He's getting the harnesses." Noah quickly answered, as if eager to obtain Christian's approval.

They followed the young man who looked just about Anastasia's age. Not a few steps, they were in front of the soaring plane. A slightly older man appeared next to Noah, his eyes lit up when he saw the couple.

"A girl, huh." His eyes crinkled with kindness when he smiled teasingly at Christian who took his outstretched hand and shook it firmly. It was Elliot who Christian usually came with, and usually because he wanted to forget about the fact that he was Seattle's biggest playboy with a reputation and that their parents were really looking forward for him to settle down.

"Ben, my girlfriend, Anastasia Steele." He introduced, gesturing to the old man to Anastasia. "Baby, Ben Salgado, an old friend."

"Friend?" She raised an eyebrow before turning to Ben and shook his hand. Christian shrugged, he was using the word loosely, classifying anyone who wasn't his business associates as friends.

"This is Noah Logan, my intern." Ben introduced, shoving the young boy forward by the shoulders.

"Are you an Instagram Model?" Noah blurted out when Anastasia smiled at him and shook his hand.

"Uh..." Anastasia was caught off guard by this question. It wasn't unprecedented, but she just wasn't ready to be identified this early in the morning. She turned to Christian who was scowling and glaring at Noah, she didn't know if it was because of jealousy or the fact that he was implying that he looked at her pictures.

Ben had already stepped away to gather the equipment, he returned just in time to be caught in the awkward situation.

"Yes, I am." She answered, offering a comforting smile, trying to compensate him of the unnecessary glare from her boyfriend. "You can take a picture with me later." She offered appeasingly.

"What, no!" Christian exclaimed, taking her by the hand to the cockpit of the plane and started to attach the harness around her, securing her in her seat. "You aren't seriously contemplating on taking a picture with that scumbag are you?" He growled.

"Baby, calm down. He's gay. It's obvious." She explained, skipping the part about how she usually wouldn't reject a request for a picture, because it was usually young teenage girls that were her followers, most people wouldn't even recognize her.

"What? No! He's not." He frowned, his hands had finished its job of tightening everything, but that didn't mean that they should leave her body.

"Not every guy wants to fuck the first girl they meet." She giggled and wriggled when his hands roamed to her thighs, squeezing them knowing that it would make her squeal because it tickled. Her movements were constraint by the harness, which made Christian's smirk widen.

"I like you like this. Completely at my mercy."

"Christian," she laughed even louder when his hands started to kneed both her thighs. "Fuck! Stop! You know that it tickles." She protested.

"Is there a place on you that doesn't tickle?" He asked amusingly.

"No, and I'd rather you believe me and not try to find out yourself." She answered quickly, already reaching to grab his hands that were still resting atop her knees. "Please, baby." She begged.

"Don't take pictures with that boy, he wants in your panties." He said sternly, not fighting the hold her hands had on his.

"Christian, trust me, I know a homosexual when I see one."

He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that he wouldn't win that fight. Even if he did force her to agree that she wouldn't take any pictures with Noah through tickling her, she would come after him to tell him how unreasonable he was.

"You really are the most stubborn person I've ever met, and I've met enough people to last a lifetime."

"Takes one to know one." She grinned, pulling him by the collar to plant a kiss on his lips. "Now, buckle up so you can show off your skills to impress me."

He rounded the plane and went into the seat behind her, muttering something under his breath all the way as he buckled up. She didn't catch any of it, nor did she care what he was saying to himself. She was too focused on looking around as closely as she possibly could with her being strapped tightly in her seat. There was a controlling stick in front of her and she wondered if she was sitting in the right seat.

"Ready, baby?" She heard him ask from behind her as the top of the cockpit closed down.

"Yup."

"Ben," Christian said into the radio, and that was when she realized that there was an actual propeller plane in front of them. Next to the glider, she saw Noah rounding it to do the final check up, she wondered if he was here for a summer job, because he looked like a guy fresh out of college with nowhere to go.

With the propeller plane lifting off in front of them, the string that connected their plane with the one in front stretched out, and soon they were in the air. She turned her head left and right, always excited about taking off and landing just like she was on an airplane.

They kept climbing, and with each height, she could hear Ben's voice from the radio informing them of the height. She didn't pay attention to the information, knowing that Christian would be listening. Looking down at the furthering ground that was getting smaller and smaller, she could still see Noah on the ground. Darting her eyes to the side of the road, she could see an SUV, knowing that it must be Christian's.

Her mind was suddenly brought back to the conversation before they boarded the glider. The one about Noah being a fan and wanting an autograph. She didn't pay too much attention to Christian's expression but from his reaction later, she knew that he was jealous and felt unnerving about someone taking her picture and posting it online. She hadn't even told him about her family yet, and she was sure that he would flip when he heard just how she became an Instagram model.

For some reason, Christian's reaction just didn't sit well with him. A part of her tried to tell herself that she needed to enjoy this time with Christian, and enjoy this experience, but another part of her wanted to use the ascending time to think about everything just to get it out of the way.

She didn't know whether he was hurt by her insistence or felt disrespected when she suggested that Noah could take a photo with her. She only saw how Noah flinched when Christian's cold, piercing glare landed on him when he asked if she was a model, and she was only feeling sympathetic since he was on the receiving end of Christian Grey's wrath. She didn't mind Christian behaving the way he did, but she felt somewhat responsible. She only wanted to compensate Noah's hurt feelings and forgot about Christian's feelings.

It wasn't like she had to think about someone else's feelings before. She never had dated a guy that she was serious about, and technically, she had only had one boyfriend, whom she never really gave two shit about. It was the first time that she had to think about someone who she wanted to let in but hadn't.

Before Christian, she never had to think about anyone when she made a decision about herself, because even if Sean and Kate were her best and closest friends, they wouldn't be sharing part of her life as big as Christian would, if he had managed to get through her complicated walls.

When she heard "3000 feet" from Ben, a genuine, truly carefree smile spread across her face, the first one in a long time.

"Release." Christian commanded.

Anastasia couldn't help but let out a yelp when she saw the string disconnect and let the glider detach from the propellor. She thought she could feel the glider getting lighter the second the string was detached.

When it suddenly dawned on her that she was sitting in something that had no engine but a pair of wings, excitement washed through her. If the wind had been stronger and in a different direction, she wouldn't know where they'd end up at, but it was the adventurous and dangerous feeling that spiked everything up.

For someone who had went skydiving before, she thought she wouldn't enjoy this, but she did; this was her forte.

"Baby, we can see the sunrise." She heard Christian's voice from the back, "look to your right." He said and she did. She could see something orange peaking out of the horizon.

"Damn that's such a beautiful scenery." She commented.

"We can probably watch most of the sunrise." He told her as he turned the glider vertical to the ground so they could see the sun from their left side.

"I love this!"

"Maybe we can chase the dusk in Charlie Tango." He suggested the idea just appeared in his head seconds ago. "Since we're chasing the dawn."

"Charlie Tango?"

"CT, my helicopter." He explained.

"And if I didn't know better, I'd say you do this to woo every girl." She chuckled.

"I wouldn't dare bring just any girl soaring."

"Oh, and why's that?" She thought it was because girls would get too loud and squealing and shrieking at any given chance.

"Because no one's touched my heart. No one's special enough to share this intimate moment with me." He replied, completely unexpected from him.

"I'm honored," she grinned, a sincere smile that was appreciative of the words that he was implying about her. "Although, I thought you were going to tell me that girls get too excited and loud if you take them here."

"Oh, trust me, you're going to be that kind of girl if you don't hold on tight." He smirked and flipped them upside down without anymore warning.

"Fuck!" She shrieked. "Holy motherfucking shit." She exclaimed, "just give a girl a tad bit more warning will ya?" She scoffed after he flipped them back.

Laughing, Christian said, "I'm just proving my point. Though I can't say that all girls have a mouth as dirty as yours, but I probably won't ever know."

Her eyes landed on the stick in front of her, noticing that it moved whenever they changed direction, so she seduces that it must've moved with Christian's.

"Baby," she called out, a wild idea growing in her head. "Can I try?"

There was a brief moment of silence and she thought he didn't understand her vague request; but before she could open her mouth to explain, he said. "Sure, just hold on to the stick." Taking his hand off the one in front of him, a wave of uneasiness washed through him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her or her ability to learn, he trust her implicitly, but knowing her, she would have something up in her sleeves and it would be too exciting for him.

"No funny business, baby. I know how that pretty head of yours work." He warned.

"Do you now," she giggled, there was a hint of mischief in that giggle and he could already envision his future in the hands of this girl. Not only his emotions would be on a roller-coster ride but his life would probably be on something very similar. He didn't know if he was ready for it, but he was determined to embrace it. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm an expert." Her serious tone was broken by the laugh that escaped her lips.

"I can already know that you're planning something when you called me sweetheart." He deadpanned. "But, Ana, please, don't crash this thing just yet. I'll do the landing. Yeah?"

"I wouldn't dare bring it down," she told him, still maneuvering in the air, turning and doing everything she could with the stick in her hand. "I'm just trying to do a forward flip." She claimed in all seriousness.

"Uh, no. Ana, don't." He places his hand back on to the stick and took back control from her. "That's not going to happen."

"Spoil sport," he could hear the pout in her voice.

"I know you're not going to do it, but I can't let you have the stick while you're tempted by the idea in your head." He explained, it was exactly what she was thinking. She knew she didn't have the skill to pull that trick off, but she had the idea, and if she had that stick long enough, she might be confident enough to try it. Christian knew her well, and did the right thing by taking the stick away from her hand.

"Is that Puget Sound?" She asked, peering down at the ground.

"Yep." He nodded, a smile stretched across his lips. He, too, hadn't been smiling much lately, but he was genuinely feeling happy and content at the moment. He had no idea that he could have so much fun with someone else.

When he brought Elliot here, he would create a different route each time they soared, and his brother would always be commenting on how beautiful Seattle looked. If they had flew over some magnificent scenery, he would make a comment about taking a girl there for a date. Christian remembered rolling his eyes each time Elliot said so.

From his conversations with Elliot, he knew that in spite of his carefree attitude and seemingly uncaring appearance, he was actually tired of his rowdy life. Christian believed that their parents' constant bugging about how he should settle down and get married had gradually filtrated into his mind, making him actually want to find someone.

When Kate interviewed him as her final assignment as a part of her final project in USC, he had never thought that it was his brother she'd be with. He never pegged her as a girl who would be content with someone like his brother, who was unsophisticated and loud. From what he had seen of Kate, he knew that she came from money, but she wasn't overly spoiled, just very well protected by her parents. She knew when to be professional and had manners, but she didn't appear like a girl who would settle for an unsophisticated life. He thought Kate would be looking for someone who would be more supportive of her and less opinionated. Elliot wouldn't dedicate all of himself to a relationship, and that was a fact. Kate looked like the girl who needed and wanted devotion.

From the way he talked about Kate, Christian had somewhat had an idea about just how his brother felt about the girl. It wasn't totally surprising to him that they were a couple and had been lasting for a while. However, it didn't stop him from wondering just how good he was at judging a character. So far, he had been utterly and completely wrong about the girl he had fell for; but he would still have her nonetheless.

The deafening silence in the cockpit encouraged the wayward thoughts in his mind. He could see in the reflection on the glass that Anastasia was enjoying the experience, and that was all he was asking to see.

Staring at the contour of her face, a few strands of her hair stuck on her forehead and another few adhered to her cheek. There was no make up on her face, and that was her appearance most of the days. In fact, he had never seen her wearing any make up in the three months that they had been together, then again, sometimes with the things that she had revealed, he felt like the three months he had with her were surreal. She was nothing like the girl that submitted to him, nothing like the girl who would cook for him during the weekends and call him Sir in the playroom. He wondered just how could he have misjudged her character so badly.

No matter what he had thought of her, one thing was undeniable, and that was the fact that he had, too, fallen under her spell. Whatever it was that she had casted had captured him and his soul completely.

She claimed that none of her partners had developed feelings for her, but he could see how easy it was to love her without even realizing themselves. He couldn't help but pity the guys that had had a kind of relationship with her. He was sure that they must have, at a time, felt something strong toward her. She was simply irresistible, and she didn't even know it.

Anastasia had flaws, she was no Mary Sue, but her flaws were masked by her strength to those that liked her, and enlarged to those who disliked her. He couldn't deny the fact that there were so many times that it was countless when he found himself getting irrevocably angry at her and her attitude. He thought he knew what kind of a person she was, but as she had proven to him time and time that she was just as complicated as her. Initially, he thought she was scared of him and intimidated by his temper tantrums when he was in his office or in the playroom taking his steam off on her, but now he had learned that she simply didn't care. She wouldn't spend a second longer on something or someone that had nothing to do with her. If she wasn't interested in something, she would make it perfectly clear and just leave.

What he couldn't realize was the fact that she didn't want to be under the spotlight, she didn't want to, but she was in the center of attention most of the times because of her nonchalant attitude and her carefree behavior, because she couldn't care less about how others view her. She didn't care.

...

The rest of the flight were filled with laughters and meaningless exchange of words. They talked about nothing. He kept reminding her that they were there to watch the sunrise, but her attention span on the tedious sunrise was short, it quickly turned to the glider. She kept firing questions at him about how long they could stay in the air and how far away they could fly. She would sometimes comment on how beautiful the sunrise actually was, but she enjoyed it much better when it was just a background.

This time, though different to any other times that he'd been here in every way, his mind remained occupied, but not with work or other stress that he had lately, nor with the problems that Elliot came to him for—his mind was blank. He looked deep in thought, he felt like he was deep in thought, but there wasn't anything going on in the forefront of his mind at the moment. He was just enjoying the comfortable silence stretched in between them inside the cockpit.

Thoughts of their conversation in the car had been replayed in his mind, but that was all it did. He didn't think about the content or what it meant, he just played the words through. For the first time, he could feel himself relaxing and feeling stress-free. He was able to keep things off his mind and not worry about anything. He found himself feeling tired even at the thought of going through what was happening at work, or the troubling discoveries from Anastasia. He was just here, in his own world, and enjoying the peace and silence that surrounded him while overlooking the horizon as he glided atop of the city.

…

 _My life flashed before my eyes  
Razor blade lips and daggers up in your eyes  
Bae-be, your love is a crime  
Danger by day, but you're evil in the night_

Anastasia hummed softly, but in the comfortably silent cockpit, her voice could be heard loud and clear. Like Christian, she had nothing going on in her mind, but it was usually at those times when songs she had liked or have heard of crept in. Sometimes, if she was in the mood, she would sing it out loud.

 _My life flashed before my eyes  
Bombs over Broadway, f-fire in the sky  
Bae-be, your love is a crime  
Danger by day, but you're evil in the night  
Danger by day, but you're evil in the night  
Bombs over Broadway, f-fire in the sky_

It was times like this that truly showed that who she really was. She had once talked to a psychiatrist because she was interested in the subject, and had hangout with the doctor for a few months. It was in the first semester of her junior year of college after she was still reflecting herself and berating herself for sleeping with Luke. The doctor had once suggested that she might have Imposter Syndrome, but she didn't give it too much thought. Then again, she thought it wasn't like everyone would completely open up to another person and reveal everything to them. People put up a façade in front of others, and she believed that there was not a single person out there who could act completely and truly like themselves unless there was no one around. Everyone would have some reservation to an extent.

"What aren't you sharing?" He asked amused, clearly had heard her singing in the front of the enclosed space.

"Huh?" She was slightly taken aback by the sudden speech, it took her a moment to comprehend. "Oh," she chuckled, "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Life. Mine to be specific." She answered.

"What about?" He asked curiously, her life was anything but dull and boring.

"I don't know. It's fucked up."

"Aren't all our lives are?"

She laughed and he joined with a light chortle.

"Can't argue with that." She sighed, "though, it's nice to think that you have the best life when you don't compare it to others." He didn't say anything, because he had never thought about his life as the _best life_. His life to him was always repetitive and uninteresting. Even with his social status and reputation, he could have an interesting life and live with some normalcy, but his lifestyle prevented that from happening. "Soaring over Seattle sort of reminded me of the song for some reason. I don't know, I can't explain it, but to be in this situation right now and with you, it's all kind of surreal."

"Surreal?"

"Yeah... I mean, all I've ever seen in you was a summer fling, a fuck, because that was what you told me and so that was what I was going for. Yet, you changed. I didn't expect you to, because I was so sure that a man that had so much resolve like you wouldn't change his mind so easily and just cave in."

"I guess I can understand where you're coming from." He sighed. It wasn't like it was he developed feelings for her by choice. Even in her submissive façade, he could feel the attraction that was pulling him to her, and she was sure her alluring traits had drawn a lot of admirers for her.

She would never pay attention to those admirers of course, because she didn't care. She was a woman who knew what she wanted.

 _Keep me on a leash tonight  
There's nowhere for me to hide  
See you on the other side_

She continued to hum the song from her favorite artist's favorite album as the glider continued to soar in the sky, chasing the dawn. She didn't dare say which song was her favorite, uncertain how much did Grey learn about her in the past few hours.

* * *

 _Evil In The Night_ by Adam Lambert

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	17. SIXTEENTH HOUR

**_SIXTEENTH HOUR_**

"I'm sorry for not being considerate of your feelings earlier, Christian." She said, laying her head on his shoulder as they walked toward the awaiting SUV. They had landed a few minutes earlier and she had made good of her promise and allowed a picture with Noah. He squealed like a school girl which confirmed Anastasia's believe that he was batting for the other team, which somewhat put Christian at ease.

"What are you talking about?" He wrapped both arms around her waist, stopping in the middle of the ground, they were only a few steps away from the SUV and Taylor was already standing next to the door waiting for their arrival.

"I keep forgetting that you have insecurities, and that you'll get jealous any time and every time. I promised to be more considerate about your feelings because you're so much more than just a fling or a random relationship. I generally agree to take pictures with people who asked, and if they don't look like that have the right intention, I'd say no to the picture. You don't like my pictures being taken or being plastered on the internet, and I know that, but I'm just not used to thinking that much before making a decision about myself."

Christian sighed, there wasn't anything for him to say. It wasn't that he didn't believe that she truly felt bad about what she did, it was just that he wasn't sure how long was she able to keep to her words pertaining to being more considerate once she was back in California.

"You know what?" She sighed and started talking again, this time feeling stupid that she was apologizing when she felt like he didn't even believe her. "I know you're doubting me and you don't believe me, it's okay. Given my history and my tendency to make spontaneous decisions, I get that it's unlikely for you to just believe that I'd do what I say."

He wanted to reassure her that he trusted her, despite everything that she had told him about herself, facts that he didn't like one bit, he could feel that she was someone who would be loyal to her real friends and families. If she had considered someone her people, they could be rest assured that she had their backs and she would do anything to help them, even if it meant losing something herself in the process. She may appeared to be inconsiderate and aloof sometimes, but that was because she was looking out for something she deemed more important.

Both of their phones rang at the same time, and he was leaning toward the thought of letting it ring but Anastasia took out hers and picked up, so he had to swallow back what he had observed of her. He just didn't want her to think that he didn't trust her as a person, because he knew he could trust her with his life and she would never betray him. She just gave off an unapproachable vibe to people who didn't know her. Granted, she would't let many know her in the first place.

"Miles?" Anastasia frowned into the phone. She would normally step aside to take phone calls like this but since she didn't want to hide anything from him, she didn't bother hiding it.

Christian on the other hand snapped into his phone, "Grey."

From the look on their faces, it seemed like none of them were receiving good news.

"Why are you up so early?" Christian frowned to the phone, "no, I never signed anything for this deal. I was there to finalize the other one, yesterday. Andrea called me in, saying that the owner wanted it done." His impatience was affecting Anastasia, she wanted to step away so she could think straight, especially with the information that Miles was giving her. Luckily, he stepped aside, leaving her to her own. She didn't mind him hearing her conversation but she certainly needed a quiet space and clear mind to conduct this phone call.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Miles, wait, back up." She stopped the other speaker, "just what exactly is it that you want out of me?" She asked, only to chuckle back humorlessly shortly. "Of course I know you well. I have been well acquainted with your species. Besides, you were there growing up." She listened to the response before scrunching up her face in utter annoyance and irritation. "Well, fuck if I'll be saying yes this easily this time. If Jess knows then there's no way for me to deny it is there. So, I'll bargain with you, but I have to get back to you. I'm not that easy to get now." She explained. "And Miles, I trust you to remain patient. I'm meeting you this time. Same time, same place. You know where." She said before she hung up.

A shadow looked over her as she stared at the black screen that was her phone. "Everything okay? You looked troubled." He asked, and she didn't look up, she just gave him a very vague and confused gesture.

"Yeah. I have to talk to you about something." She said quietly, her mind still going through the words that Miles had said to her. What he told her wasn't much, but it was a start and she knew he had more to tell, but he wanted to get something from this exchange of information. She knew he would never give something for free. It had been like that since they first met, and he had been decent enough to do her favors in return for giving her pictures to his sister for her to post on Instagram to make money during the time when she lived next door.

"That's never good," he mumbled, already dreading another serious conversation with her.

"How was yours?"

"Ros called to tell me that Morton is planning on calling off the deal in its entirety instead of just raising the prices and adding more demands."

"What are you going to do then?"

"I'm thinking of a hostile takeover, but I want to pick your brains about it."

"Christian, I may be good at statistics, but I'm nowhere near good when it comes to business."

"Oh I know, and I'm not even going to ask you to make the decision for me, I just need to know more about what's going on between Morton and you."

"Guess we're on the same page then." She sighed defeatedly, "I was going to tell you something that I just learned concerning him."

"Why don't we go get some food as we talk?"

"It's still too early for me to be able to stomach anything."

"Okay, how about a drink?"

"Okay. I guess I'm pretty awake for drinks."

"Nothing alcoholic," he warned and she laughed.

Standing in line of a small cafe around the corner. She had already decided what she had wanted and he was still raking his eyes over the short menu, hoping to find something that deemed fitting to the standard of his highness. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hand in both of hers as she leaned into him, resting her chin on his shoulder as she watched him stare at the board trying to choose his drink. He turned to her briefly when she inched closer to take his hand but didn't give their public display of affection too much of a thought.

"You done?" She mumbled near his ear when he finally looked away from the menu, a hint of humor laced in her question.

He nodded, turning his head only to find her face inches away from his. "I don't think I've ever seen you this affectionate to anyone." He commented lightly, pecking her on the nose.

"I'm never like this to anyone, but I'm clingy when I don't get enough sleep or when I have a cramp."

"I don't know if I'll like a clingy Ana all day." He grinned when he saw the slight movements of her eyebrows.

"I don't like clingy needy me, so don't worry, she usually stays dormant." She adjusted her head to place her cheek on his shoulder, staring absentmindedly at the back of the head of the person in front of them.

He chortled, he wasn't sure what kind of Anastasia he would like best but he wasn't going to complain about her public display of affection.

"Are we going to talk about Morton?" He asked lowly, knowing that she'd be able to hear him given the close proximity. He never liked to show affection to anyone, let alone a public display of affection, but when Anastasia was next to him, he felt like there wasn't a single soul around them.

He was so wrapped up in her that he didn't realize that Taylor had been talking to a brunette who was attempting to cause a scene just to get Grey's attention.

"Mr Grey!" The girl still did it, in spite of Taylor's polite warning.

Both Anastasia and Christian's heads snapped in the direction of the voice. He narrowed his eyes at the woman, it was obvious that she was an ex-sub, but he never thought she'd have the audacity to show up in public around him.

Anastasia lifted her head up from him and he immediately missed the feeling of her head on his shoulder. She loosened her hold on his hand, but he tightened his on the remaining hand that was still in his.

Christian nodded to Taylor to tell him that the woman could approach him. Taylor got up from his stool and followed the woman, grunting displeasing words under his breath.

Heads were already turning their way, and there was no way no one wouldn't notice them after that call from across the cafe.

"Mr Grey," the girl smiled, she looked like she was older than him, and she didn't look intimidated by him and his scowl. If anything, Anastasia could say that this girl was looking at him with respect, she admired him and not in the romantic way.

"Miss Deyanira." He acknowledged with a simple nod. Anastasia tried to look elsewhere, anywhere but at the duo, she wanted to give them privacy, but it was hard when he had a vice grip on her hand.

"I really just want to thank you," she said sincerely, "you've helped me a great deal, and I'm so happy that you found someone that you love." She gushed, her eyes darting to Anastasia. She wasn't intimidated by Christian but she certainly was by Anastasia. She appeared nice but the vibe she sent off made her unapproachable.

Anastasia didn't want to pay any attention to their conversation, but there was nothing she could do. It would be rude of her to just whip her phone out and started scrolling through random shits while the girl was talking, but she also didn't want to intrude. Whoever Christian was friends with was none of her business.

"You want me to refer you?" He clarified, and she nodded. They had been conversing about the BDSM contract discretely. "You know I won't be back to the community."

"I know you're in a committed relationship, which is why I asked you. He... well... he wanted it from someone with a reputation and experienced."

"I'm not going to risk my name being leaked to the press..."

"I understand, which is why I will tell you his name. This is my last time in the states, I'm moving out permanently." She explained, and from the look of his face, he was shocked. "It was a coincident that I ran into you before I attempt to contact you."

"Hey," Anastasia turned around when someone tapped her on her shoulder to see a young group of girls.

"Are you Anastasia Steele?" One of them asked, she didn't even know which one tapped her and said 'hey', because they all looked so similar. She thought they were probably from an Indian immigrants family.

Anastasia nodded. Then all of the squealed, only to be hushed by other customers. Another girl noticed the arm that was sneaking around her front and followed it back to its owner only to gasp out loud.

"Is he... is he _the_ Christian Grey?"

Before Anastasia could come up with something to wave them off, the girls started to gush among themselves, and she smiled before turning to Taylor and gave him an apologetic look for attracting so much attention.

"Oh my god, I met two of the hottest models in one day!" A girl squealed.

"They're not models."

"We need a picture, and oh my god, we'll have like so many likes and comments to our post."

"They're a hot couple."

"Oh yeah! We can't forget to add the hashtag, and I'm sure we can get more viewers."

Their attempts to get close to Anastasia again were stopped by Taylor and another employee of the coffee house. They were already moving down the line, the brunette, Susannah Deyanira had disappeared by the time Anastasia turned back.

"What was that fuss about?"

"Apparently they recognized me."

"Instagram?"

"Yeah... and now I think they're filming us from a distance. Do you mind? I can get them to delete the video and give them a chance to take a picture with me to get them to leave." She looked at him with worried eyes. "Just don't turn around, so they won't get your face and only your back."

"I don't care if I'm seen with you, Anastasia. It's not like I'm ashamed of you, I just don't like all the media attention and the paparazzi. I guess we'll be ambushed soon."

"Speaking of paparazzi," she suddenly turned serious again. "It's what I need to talk to you about."

"Aren't you telling me something about Morton?"

"Yeah, it's related."

He nodded, placing their order and paid for their drinks and led her to the side so they could address what had happened when they were eating in line with Taylor.

"So, an ex-sub?" She asked out of pure curiosity, as she was pressed against him with his arms tightly around her lower back.

He nodded, and that was all she wanted to hear, so she dropped the subject. She wasn't going to force him to tell her anything, it was his choice whether he wanted to share it or not.

"She was the friend that I told you about."

"Oh, the one who fled the country? And shared stories with you?"

"Yeah, the one that I actually had a few conversations with outside of the scenes."

"So, she's back now?"

"No, she's only back to tie some loose ends here so she can move in with her Dom slash fiancé officially. They live in Italy."

"Is she marrying an Italian?"

"No, he's Greek and has a decent job in Italy."

"Damn, he must be hot." She taunted with a wicked grin, and he knew she was only saying it to get a rile out of him and it worked. "Don't worry, you're smokin'." She grinned cheekily at him, her hands sliding up his front, squeezing his pectorals and then slid around his neck to plant a kiss on his lips, knowing that she had reassure him. Resting her hands in his back pocket, she continued. "And I'll always only have eyes for you. I'll only jump your bones and attack you when you least expected. Believe me, I've never ogled before until I met you."

He laughed, mostly at the movements of her hands. Feeling a little better at her words, but he still couldn't joke around with her about the looks of another guy. He wasn't that relaxed and secured, yet. He only hoped that he could get there.

"She wanted me to give this new guy her limits that were in our contract." She cocked her head sideways in confusion. "Apparently, they started dating and fell in love first, and he proposed. Then one day, they discovered that both of them were participants in the BDSM community, and they wanted to try having that relationship. Her Dom is afraid of hurting her so wants to be absolutely certain of her limits and everything before they start, so she came to ask me since I was apparently her last Dom." He explained.

"Oh wow. That's... new..."

"It actually isn't. Doms recommend subs to other Doms, and they also share information when asked and given consent to."

"Guess I still don't know enough."

"Don't worry, you've got me. I'm a great teacher." He gloated.

"Yeah right." She scoffed, "whatever. So her Dom will know your name?"

"He'll sign an NDA first before seeing the contract."

"Oh, that sounds more like you." She let out a breath, lifting her hands to play with the collar of his shirt while thinking about how she should address the issue with him.

Their orders were quickly brought to them by Taylor, apparently he didn't want Grey's name to be broadcasted over the cafe again. He still wasn't over the fuss that Susannah made earlier even though Christian had forgiven her for it. For the sake of their old friendship.

"Now, shall we take a walk? The airfield is close to the waters, we can stroll around the bay. They'll only be a few joggers so no one will overhear us." He suggested, handing her her order after taking a sip of it. "Ugh, what did you get?" He made a face.

She stared at him in amusement and took his drink. Returning the sentiment, only she spat out the liquid. "Seriously?" She exclaimed incredulously and shivered when she tasted the bitterness of the cold brew.

He shrugged. "Guess we have different tastes."

"No, you've got weird-ass tastes."

"How is a fruit tea better than this?" He said pointing at her drink and then raising his.

"That's what hangover people drink."

"Oh, so you do drink this."

"I drink it to make me vomit so I can show up at class in a better state since there's a girl that'd tell on me if I ditch that class, and only that class. It reminds me of the times when I was hangover, but if I can I usually drink matcha rather than coffee if I had too much." She shivered, hating the feeling of a hangover and the smell of the coffee.

"I drink this on most mornings. Sometimes stronger."

"Do you not add sugar or milk, like at all?"

"Depends on my mood."

"You're such a girl."

"Do you even drink coffee?"

"Not if I can avoid it. I prefer tea over coffee and I like my coffee with milk."

"No sugar?"

"I don't really care about sugar. I don't drink it mostly because I'm lactose intolerant, so with the amount of milk I prefer in my coffee, my body will protest."

"And I think we're off topic now." He smirked as he moved behind her as they shuffled out of the cafe with Taylor holding the door for them. "Did you tell Gail?" He asked on the way out as he walked passed the buzzcut, the latter nodded. "Good."

"Tell what?" Anastasia inquired uninterested.

Christian gave her a look, "I didn't know you gossip."

"No, and I'm not exactly interested in what you were talking about. I don't even want to know."

"Then, why did you ask?"

She shrugged, "no idea. Just blurted out but never expecting an answer."

"Okay, we need to address the Morton issue." He stated seriously, in which she wholeheartedly agreed. "You or me first?"

She stared at him for a while, thinking about the question.

"Stop staring." He mouthed, knowing that she could read it.

"I wasn't," she mumbled back, her mind still occupied. There really wasn't much to think about regarding who should speak first, but her problem was just so complicated that she didn't know where to start. "How about you go first, I need to think of a way to break it to you."

"Is it that bad?"

"If it was just me, no. But, now that we're together, yes. At least, I know that you won't like it for sure."

He let out a breath. "Wow."

"I know, I'm sorry for dragging you in." She grumbled apologetically.

"You're not dragging me into anything."

"Just start talking."

"So, Ros called me earlier. She thought I had signed something to allow a renegotiation with Morton, but I told her no. We had already settled on the big things and there were only minor details left to be addressed. But, as I've told you, Morton is suddenly thinking about calling it off."

"How do you know that he's planning to call it off?"

"I've got ears."

She huffed at his cockiness, but on second thought, it was true. Powerful people like him would need to plant people in competitions to gain more advantage. It was always nice to be on the upper hand in business.

"Ros was just confirming with me that I haven't changed my mind about purchasing his company. I said no. So she said she will look into it to confirm whether or not he's having that thought. We are going to lose some money if this acquisition isn't successful, but he's going to pay a greater fine for losing his end of the deal."

"Okay, this is making so much more sense." She studied her cup.

"What do you mean?"

"I may or may not have the information regarding the reason behind his sudden change of heart."

He nodded indicating that he was listening.

"The guy who called me is called Miles. He's the brother of Ray's current wife, Jessica Solano. He's a pap."

"You're friends with a paparazzi."

"That hardly should be a surprise, Christian. Jessica takes my picture and puts it on social media so she can make money out of them. There are pictures from since I was really young. She has been in my life since forever. She and my dad only got married a few years ago because he thought it was the right thing to do after they had a kid. Most of the pictures were taken by Miles when he was still taking photography classes."

Christian scowled at her and her revelation. "I want a background check." He growled.

"I don't think that would help, Christian." He regarded her with questioning eyes, "but do whatever you deem fit. That's just my opinion." She raised her arms up in surrender.

"Why don't you think it'll help?"

"First of all, you're diverting your company's resources to insignificant places. Second, my dad is a private investigator, he keeps tabs on Morton and the Solano siblings."

"I thought she's your step-mom."

"Only by law. My dad loved the girl, hence he married her, to give the little girl a family. He never really trusted her since the start. She was my mom's friend, and he had always been skeptical about people around him."

"Now I see where you got you cynicism from."

"Maybe." She hummed and continued to talk. "Miles told me that he's got updates about Morton from Jessica."

"What's she got to do with Morton?"

"Jessica is a fucked-up slut. She's just one step away from being a prostitute since she doesn't sell sex but rather gives it as a byproduct. Anyway, this guy had been one of the sponsors that gave her money to support her Instagram account that's full of my pictures because he knows that I'm Ray's daughter. He's holding a grudge against Ray, and seeking revenge. It's stupid, really, but he is trying to get close to Jessica so that she could either sell me out or sell Ray out."

"Does he want you two dead or something?"

"No, he wants money. He's greedy. It's always money to him."

"Hence selling the company?"

"Yes. Jessica is brainless, so according to Miles, she's in contact with Morton."

"Why are you trusting a pap?"

"I've always been close with Miles. We do things for each other. He takes pictures of me and give it to Jessica, he feels bad about it so sometimes, he will give a few good ones to modeling agencies to get me a well-paid job. Then, I'd tip him to places where there are no paps around, so he can get exclusives. Since, you know, I'm always at functions in LA. He's friends with another few celebrities because he's one of those nicer paps."

"So, you're friends with a pap, and you trust him, but I am failing to see the problem. Your point is?"

"I'm getting there. He didn't give me any details, and he knows that we are together because he just bought a picture from a buddy of his of us in the Mile High Club the first time we met."

"Why didn't he release it?"

"See, that's why I'm telling you that he's got a strong human touch. Which is also why he's friends with a bunch of celebrities."

"I don't believe it."

"You don't need to, you just have to accept it. He told me about the picture, and he said he's already destroyed it. He was going to use that picture as bargaining material, but he prepositioned me, so I have to confirm that we are seeing each other."

"Oh fuck."

"Which leads to his request of exchanging the rest of the information regarding Jessica and Morton with a few exclusive pictures of us."

"He's not got a human touch. He took a gamble on us. Looking at the bigger picture, if he sold that picture of us out, he's not going to get anything. That single pictures isn't going to be enough for even a blackmail material, so he's waiting for a better opportunity. Now he's got it."

"He's smart, but you gotta be like that if you want to be a successful pap. Gotta respect their jobs. He just wants to be the first, that way he's going to make big money." She shrugged, getting used to bargaining with paparazzis for a compromise since she's usually not their target.

"What's your plan?"

"My plan depends entirely on your decision. If you agree to the pictures, then I'll call back to arrange it and get the information. If you don't agree to the pictures, then I'll find other ways to try and get the info, but I won't guarantee any success."

"No. I'm saying no to the pictures."

"Okay." She acknowledged the response, kind of expecting him to shot down the idea. She knew they would definitely be at an advantage if he agreed to do the pictures, because it was obvious that Miles knew something key about Jessica's role. She just had to wait for Ray to get up and call her so she could ask him to dig into it. She knew time was critical in situations like this, and getting information from Miles would definitely be much faster than waiting on Ray or Grey's men. But, since Christian said no, then she would respect it.

She had become quiet since he rejected her idea of exchanging information with a picture, he tried to gauge her mood, thinking that she had been hurt by the rejection.

"On second thought," she tried again. "My goal isn't to get you to take that picture, Christian, just keep that in mind. But, if you think about it. If Miles doesn't get that exclusive, he's not going to tell us anything. We can wait on my dad but it's going to take longer. Also, we have already been spotted and people have already taken pictures of us, though with only our backs. Most are already aware of us. So, it's only a matter of time before words spread and everyone grows curious about the new couple."

"I'm still not going to do it." He was adamant.

"Fine," she shrugged nonchalantly. She was a girl who would do just about anything to achieve her goal and get what she wanted, and she knew he was that kind of person, too. She understand his decision because he had a line, and taking a picture to splash all over the internet would be crossing the line. Just like, she would never sleep with someone to get what she wanted. She would do other dirty works, but sex and drugs would never be one of them.

"I'll get Welch on it." He said more to himself than to her. "You'll have a CPO."

"Is that your final decision after _picking my brain_ about everything?" She asked skeptically, letting go of the CPO comment for now.

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

"So you're just going to handle it yourself? Taking matters into your own hands?"

"Isn't that what I always do?"

"Not when you've got a much more obvious and easier solution in front of you."

"You mean the pap and his fucking exclusive?" She nodded. "Well, there's no way I'm going to sell my face for some stupid information."

"Jeez, fine." She puffed out, "whatever makes you happy." She muttered, even though she didn't see anything wrong with just a few pictures of them together, it wasn't like his lifestyle was being exposed to the public and everything.

She knew the potential consequences, such as the hounding press and media demanding for an interview. His PR would be harassed, but if they weren't, then there was probably no use for a PR team. She knew that he only hire the best of the best, and Kate had also said that he had implied that if she didn't have the offer from Seattle Times he would offer her a job at his PR department.

When she said she wasn't going to force him for that picture, knowing that it was out of his comfort zone, she meant it. Despite her frustration, she would obtain the information through other channels. She would respect his decision, no matter how she couldn't understand the reason behind his defiance.

With a small defeated sigh, she fished out her phone and typed: _Same time same place see you there I've got my answer_

The reply was fast, he asked why couldn't she tell him over the phone, but she slipped her phone back to her pocket. She thought their conversation could've lasted a little longer, and she thought he might agree to the photos because he needed those information. She didn't understand why he wouldn't choose the easy way when there was one right before him. All it would take was a single fucking picture, it was minimal effort!

She knew he would be there.

"You told Taylor about the video?"

"Yeah, I thought we're going to make one."

"Do you have a place in mind that we could do it at?"

"No, but I've asked Taylor to look into it while we're soaring."

"Oh, so that's why you told him to check his email."

He shrugged indifferently. He was still bothered by the revelation of a possible connection between his ex-sub and the potential threat that Anastasia was facing. It was one complicated, fucked up situation. Everything was a mess.

He thought he was buying another failing company, but now it seemed like Morton had other ideas, and he just needed to know what made him change his mind. He could let Anastasia get the information from the pap, but he never trusted paps, never liked them, so he wasn't going to strike a deal with them.

"Stop thinking about it. I know it's a hard limit for you." She lamented at his deep in thought expression, knowing what he was thinking about.

"Yeah, having my pictures taken by a pap is a hard limit for me, but this makes me wonder, what are _you_ going to do?" He turned his full attention on her after taking a sip of his almost empty drink. "I know you won't just give up after I rejected your suggestion. I understand that it might look like the easier way to get information, but I don't trust a pap, and I won't trust them with a photoshoot. They're going to have the negatives and they're going to sell it everywhere."

"I know, I know. Christian, I know about it, which is why I didn't push you. I understand your insecurities regarding paps and cameras okay. You're private, I get that. I won't be selling anything or using anything about us as an exchange. I wasn't even going to offer him a tip to some of the biggest celebrities roaming around town in LA."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, when this sort of thing happens, I'd just give him whatever he demands. He usually just ask for a photo of me or of me with some huge star. Most of the times, he's going to ask me to tip him off about some celebrities in town." He was still looking at her confused. "I go to functions, right? Attend those red-carpet events, yeah?" He nodded to both questions. "Which means I get to meet celebrities, and make friends with them. Sometimes, I hangout with them."

"And you tip them off? You're such a bad friend."

"I'm not betraying them, Christian. It's not like I'd tip you off because I know that you hate paparazzis so bad and you value your privacy. It sounds like I'm the bad guy here, but you got to give up something if you're going to get something else. Every rebellious teenagers have some kind of smear on their history, a little shoplifting here and there, groping a few wads of cash, taking a bike and returning it after using 'em. It's so common. You know what they say, Christian? _Life is too important to be taken seriously_."

"Clearly you're the number one believer to that saying." He huffed, "have you shoplifted before?"

"I don't have a criminal history."

"Not on the record."

"I don't have one off the record either."

"But you've done other things. Things that are skirting around the legislations."

"You're right about that." She admitted. "But, we're going off topic here. My point is that, you have to trust me to protect your privacy and whatever else that you're protecting. I'm on your side, Christian. I'm not the enemy. I'm trying to help you, even though my gestures are not appreciated most of the time. We solve problems in very different ways, I am well aware of that. Which is why I asked you about the photos. I would've straight up agree to whatever he asked for right then and there if it wasn't for you."

"Well, thank you then." He said dryly, turning back to his drink. Tipping his head back to finish the last drop and tossed it into the bin as he walked by.

Anastasia sighed under her breath. They were just too different, and times like this just made her wonder why on earth would he see in her and what the fuck was he doing with her, much less claiming that he had strong and deep feelings for her. It wasn't that she didn't reciprocate those feelings, because she would if she was certain that a serious relationship with this guy could last. She wasn't much of a gambler when it comes to her own feelings, because the walls she built around herself couldn't be broken through unless she allowed it to be torn down.

"I told Miles to meet me at the cafe. The one where there was always a party going on near it." She announced. He was still looking straight ahead, but she knew he was listening. Their disagreement over what was the best way to approach this Morton threat had vexed him, he didn't want to face her to prevent himself from getting into a fight with her. "It was our usual meeting place if we need to exchange stuff. Just to make it clear, the party that I went next to some office, the office was used by Morton, and my dad told me to check it out, so I went under the pretense that I was partying. I'll admit though, I did went drinking after I checked out the vacant office."

He sighed but still didn't say anything. Though, Anastasia felt someone's eyes boring into the back of her skull, so she turned around to find Taylor staring at her. She halted, knowing that Taylor had questions for her after overhearing their conversation. He deliberately trailed behind them within earshot, after knowing the topic of their discussion.

"T, contact my father if you can. I'm not sure he'll share anything with you, but if he can't get back to me quick and secure enough, he might request a visit from me."

He nodded, he was impressed by the girl, even though it worried him immensely about how she and the Boss would work out knowing that their way of dealing with issues was way too different. He would only rely on technology and his people, deeming them reliable sources. On the other hand, she had a wide range of sources everywhere.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	18. SEVENTEENTH HOUR

_**SEVENTEENTH HOUR**_

 _If she's anything like you told me, then I think Grey's met his match_

Taylor texted as he trailed behind the quiet couple.

 _She will have him eating out of her palms_

Sawyer replied instantly. They were discussing the plan for the day since, for the first time in forever, the Boss wanted to live a little. This conversation though, and to be conducted via their personal cells, since their work ones were heavily monitored and none of them could risk losing their jobs over indiscretion.

 _He's going to go apeshit when he tells her stuff and she's not even surprised cuz she already knows_

Taylor replied. They knew Anastasia would probably get the latest information way faster than Grey, but since Grey didn't believe her connections, Taylor honestly had no idea where he should be looking at and what he should aim to find.

He personally would prefer exchanging the information with a picture, because pictures could be fake but updates from this pap wouldn't be. He and Anastasia were both firm believers that if politicians could blatantly lie on the TV in front of the entire nation, then what was so bad having a photo taken. It wasn't like they were fabricating a press conference.

Taylor had evaluated the security risks over releasing the photo, but in comparison to the potential of making an advancement on the Morton case, a few days of bothersome paparazzi could be tolerated. He wouldn't admit it to Grey but he loved Anastasia's handy network of friendship because it was where rumors spread the quickest. Even if Anastasia wasn't interested in gossips, she would be one of the first to know the latest bag bought by the Kardashians. He admired the respect Anastasia paid another person, because he was sure if it was the other way around, Grey wouldn't be so patient and easily persuaded when her idea got knocked off.

Of course, Anastasia had other means to fish the information out of Miles, but with him spilling the beans to her, knowing him, he would definitely want something in return. She had already planned out a way to get him talking, but she had yet to come up with an appealing enough favor she could offer him in return.

Under normal circumstances, Taylor would strongly advice against a public image being taken, but this was them racing with the time to eliminate a threat. Morton, as coward and irresponsible as he was seen, was determined to get his revenge on the Steeles. He had the means to dig just like Ray and Grey, but he didn't have the people to do his dirty work for him.

Anastasia had suspected that him reaching out to Jessica was a desperate act, because with his company sold, he would be living on a fixed amount of money. He would lose even more assets if he didn't hire people to overlook his investments since there were a lot that he couldn't just pull away from. However, he wouldn't have enough money to sustain his luxurious life with all the hired helps, so Anastasia thought perhaps it had something to do with his recent decision to call off the acquisition with GEH.

She didn't like to admit it, but she was every bit a social butterfly. It wasn't that she would purposely befriend someone because of their status in the society, but the way she presented herself in public appealed to a lot of people. They didn't know her well enough to know what exactly her attitude was like, but the impression that she gave strangers were that she was carefree, laid-back and down-to-earth, friendly and kind-hearted, which was what everyone would anticipate in someone who was constantly attending social gatherings. People who were closest to her, Kate and Sean, knew otherwise. She may appear to be a social butterfly, but she would make no effort at maintaining those friendships. She'd never ask them for favors and she'd rarely been asked for favors, the mere existence of those friendships were to make sure that she didn't feel awkward or left out when she were at places. To her it was just a social technique that she thought was crucial even if she absolutely loathed socializing.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, she could see that they were nearing the end of the trail, and they had to turn back to the main road.

"A little," she answered, draining the rest of her fruit tea and tossed the cup away. It wasn't a pretty one, so she didn't bother saving it to her collection. Besides, she had to bring it all the way back to California, which would be too much effort for her.

"We can go to IHOP."

"Sure, haven't been for a long while."

"And, maybe you can tell me about your plan for our music video."

"You're serious about that?"

"Why not? I think it'll be fun."

"Christian Grey's definition of fun, um…"

"Hey! You'll know just how _fun_ I can be. I may be this old man stuck in a young man's body, but I have my moments, okay?"

"We'll see about that."

"Now you're just not giving me enough credit."

"Oh, really?"

They joined the other pedestrians on the sidewalk, most were rushing to work or rushing to the bus. She would be one of them if she had started school.

In a distance, she spied a familiar looking black van. Then, she looked at the license plate just to be sure, she shook her head in annoyance.

"Aren't you just the ultimate stalker, Miles." She walked up to the van murmuring as she knocked on the tinted window. "Meet me at IHOP, baby. Take Taylor with you." She turned to Christian, not wanting him to come face to face with a paparazzi knowing how he felt about them in general.

"Fucking parasites," Grey muttered, lingering a bit around her but she gave him a stern look challenging him to ask anymore questions. Taylor walked up to steer him away, knowing that Anastasia was going to be talking to someone that she didn't want Grey to meet.

"Luke's on his way to you," Taylor informed Anastasia before leading Christian away to an incoming Audi, where another member of his security was sitting in.

"You do organize everything do you, Jason." Anastasia laughed before waving them off. "You tracked my phone didn't you?" She turned back to the rolled down window, and she knew that Miles had just witnessed the exchange, but she trusted him to not take advantage of the situation to take pictures.

"Coincidence," he replied with his usual smirk.

"My ass," she rolled her eyes.

"Actually, this time it really is." He turned serious. "I really wasn't seeking you out. I was just in the neighborhood." She pursed her lips showing that she didn't believe a word coming from his mouth. That excuse was just too lame to be true, but something told her that he really wasn't following her this time, and she trusted that this man wouldn't stoop to the lowest level. He was a reasonable pap with a reputation in the celebrity circle, so she didn't dwell on it too long.

"Who are you catching this time?"

"Some drunk."

"J. Law?"

"Ha, no! Why the fuck would she be in Seattle of all places."

"Who tipped you?"

"A police on patrol."

"Are you serious? You must've gotten a call from a stripper, man."

"No, he's legit."

"I can't believe you bought it. Have you been to Seattle?"

"I'm here now aren't I?"

"Miles, you really don't know enough about this area."

"What, is it the red-light area?"

"Close, but no."

"Then, what?"

"It's like LA but with whites instead of blacks."

"I don't hear anyone catcalling for you."

"That's because you're in a fucking van."

"Touché, but now that my window's rolled down, I still don't hear enough voices."

"Because today is a work day and right now it's seven something in the morning, people are rushing to work. Fuck, why am I even answering your stupid questions. You know what, just haul your ass over to the place, not a second late."

"You said you've got the answer, so why not tell me now?"

"Cuz I don't have all day to stand here and listen to your side of the promise."

"Ah, so I'm getting an exclusive then."

"Go to Microsoft's headquarter, and you might catch Bill Gates. Oh, and I think Amazon's CEO is also lurking in Seattle these days."

"What, the cheater?"

Anastasia shrugged, "same time, same place, don't be late. My treat."

He knew she was playing at something when she avoided addressing his comments, besides she had insisted that it was her treat, which was another indication that she wasn't as confident this time for what she had to offer to the deal. He knew he'd win this round. The information that he had over Jessica and Morton was of no value to him, and he'd easily spill to Anastasia given their history, but he saw a chance of upgrading his career when she confirmed that she was seeing Seattle's prince, the fucking billionaire.

Anastasia knew the information would be a useful puzzle piece, albeit a really small one, but it could possible bridge some gaps. She knew what he was trying to do, but this time, she had decided to let him have it; he could goad all he want. All the previous times, the favors that she had done for him was way better than the ones he had done for her. All he ever did was recommend her to well-known modelling agencies or brands, and spy for her from time to time, but her contribution to his well-established reputation as a paparazzi was much bigger.

She had helped him a lot throughout, and he hadn't let her down either. In the end, if he wasn't going to get a picture of them, he knew she would offer something equivalent. He wouldn't be hard to bargain with, and he would accept almost any kind of offer from her, so they both knew what the meeting would actually entail.

From a distance, the engine of the van started up. Anastasia didn't have to turn back to know that Miles was heading to look for the people that she told him about. He would always rely on her for updates like such.

The noises of the van soon blended into the rest of the traffic, and Anastasia spotted Luke leaning against another Audi waiting for her.

"Pig," she acknowledged with a nod of her head.

"B," he returned in the same seriousness. "Ray called."

"He called you?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too. Apparently, he got your text and called me."

"What, did he think that you're my bodyguard?"

"He knows, for a fact." He corrected, starting the car after getting into the driver's seat, with Anastasia riding shotgun.

"How?"

"He's a private investigator."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he can find out who I'm dating."

"He doesn't know who you're dating, but he knows what I am. You know your father, he's keeping tabs on me ever since we first met."

"Guess it was a mistake to introduce you as my personal trainer."

"Come on, he never bought it. He just went along with it because he knows that we're both consenting adults."

"That was before we started. He literally ran into us when we were sparring that night. I still don't know why he was there in the first place."

"He might be investigating some other case."

"He better not be stalking me."

"I think that's a given."

"Fuck my life!"

"Anyway, he called me to tell me that he's been looking into Morton, and just got all the archive of him updated."

"I told Taylor to call him earlier."

"Has he called yet?"

"Don't know, he'll probably wait a little bit longer into the day, since you know, he doesn't know that Ray is an early bird."

"He's only an early bird to avoid that wife of his."

"Jess?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Oh he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Jess, as you so affectionately call her," he mocked but turned serious soon after. "She likes to snoop around."

"I just described her as a harmless slut to Christian, now I think I'm completely wrong about her."

"Oh, she is still brainless and still a slut, that's been established since the beginning, even Ray knows that."

"So, she's been cheating."

"Oh yes, of course; She's always cheating, well, fucking."

"And Ray's letting it slide."

"Ray's got better things to do than kick-up a fight with the cunt. That woman knows better than to bring her 'dates' around the little girl, and she's pretty responsible to the little girl, so Ray wasn't concerned. Jessica never brings her 'work' home, so at least they're putting up a good show for the little girl."

"Phew…"

"I know. I just hope Jessica can at least keep up her act until the girl, Christina, is it? Turns 18."

"I hope so too. Jessica is fucked up."

"She wants money."

"Oh, not want, she's fucking desperate for it. That's why she started my Instagram."

"Oh, really? I figured as much."

"What did my dad tell you about Morton then?"

"Nothing much, mostly that he had suspected that Morton might be into some alternative lifestyle."

"Huh? What, like BDSM?"

"Yeah, possibly."

"He's already an alcoholic, and a gambler, and a womanizer."

"That's not an alternative lifestyle, sweetie."

Rolling her eyes, Anastasia moved on with the interrogation. "What else did he say?"

"He said something about a missing file that he couldn't find anywhere. It might be on an USB drive or something that wasn't stored in any kind of local systems."

"An USB stick?"

"Yeah, that's what he suspects."

"Is that thing important?"

"Ray seems to think that it is."

"Well, fuck."

"He didn't know what's on it, but he's hoping that it's still out there somewhere and retrievable."

"I feel like Morton is one huge cluster-fuck."

"Trust me, he is. This entire case is."

"How does this fit into him trying to seek revenge on me and my father though? It doesn't make sense."

"It does. T told me about Miles's request. He mentioned to you about how his sister might be connected to Morton."

"It's a wild guess, but I'll bet that the huge sponsor behind Jessica's Instagram was this asshole."

"Ya think! It's definitely him, or else why do you think he's pulling out of this sell right now?"

"The acquisition?"

"Yeah, T said Grey was so pissed earlier after Ros told him about the rumor of Morton pulling out."

"It's not verified."

"But there's a great chance that it's true, given the dire financial situation that he seemed to be in with his heavy gambling, drinking and prostituting. I think he's wanting to keep the company for a while longer, just so he could execute his _grand scheme of revenge_."

"Revenge on me and my father?"

"Yes, and I think he's going to do it using Jessica."

"She's easy."

"She is, hence she's his target. They guy's dense but he's not brainless, he may be a coward, B, but I think he's actually capable of formulating a plan."

"And where did you get this conclusion from?"

"Years of research. Grey had wanted to buy his company for a long while now, and it's only recently that he's willing to sell."

"But now he's changing his mind."

"Yes, which is why I think Jessica's feeding him information."

"About whom? What information could _she_ possible have?"

"I don't know."

"That woman doesn't even know my birth date let alone my social security number, my bank account and all that. I'd be surprised if she knows how old I am."

"Don't underestimate her. She may be brainless and seemingly harmless, but you don't know what Morton's doing with everything she spilled to him."

"Should I still go to Miles then?"

"I think you should. Your dad only knows so much and he can't just go up and ask her what she had been doing lately."

"Your theory does make sense though. I don't know if Miles can verify it though."

"I'm pretty sure he can. After all, he's pretty close with Jessica, and she tells him practically everything."

"Basically, you think that Jessica is associated with Morton. He is sponsoring her for her Ins account and paying her to spy on me."

"He's paying her to spy on you _and_ your father."

"Then there's the alternative lifestyle. I don't know about his personal life, but I know that Jessica is a submissive, so she's into BDSM."

"How'd you know that?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes but brushed away his curiosity. "Do you think he's active in the community?" She wondered out loud, because Christian had surely never mentioned his name, so he must've been either a newbie or some unknown participant.

"I don't know, but I can always look into it. Though, I think T is taking care of it now that it concerns the big Boss."

"Ah yes, Christian. He said that Morton's company can't last for long, they're making profit but it is decreasing by quarter."

"He's probably draining the money from it, since it's his only income."

"Doesn't he has any investments elsewhere?"

"Yes, but it's unmovable."

"So his assets are stuck."

"The only one that he can utilize is his company, the others are all long-term and frozen."

"Shit, I think Christian might be thinking of bankrupting him."

"That does sound like him."

"I'm not stopping him, but I still want to know what the fuck is Morton planning. He's now got a mole in my family, so I was wondering when would he strike. Oh and, do you think Jess is the one who has the USB that my dad claims exists?"

"It's a possibility."

"I can go rummage through her stuff."

"You won't find shit that way, Bitch. She probably doesn't even know that she's got it even if it really is in her possession, besides I think it might be hidden somewhere."

"What, like sewed in her purse?"

"Something like that."

"Damn, she must've spent a lot of time in his house for him to be able to sew that shit in."

He shrugged. Now that he'd got it off his chest, he had something else that he wanted to talk to Anastasia about.

"B, the picture you sent me." He began, pulling out his phone and showing her what he was talking about at a red light.

"What about it?" She asked after quickly recognizing the picture as the one that José and Jack sent her of them with Claire and Hannah respectively, and what looked like Mia and Lily in the background.

"Hannah called me the other day."

"Oh?"

"She told me the real reason why she jumped into bed with Jack so soon after we broke up."

"Because she wants to move on?"

"No, she pities him."

"What for? There's nothing sour about his life."

"He's an alcoholic."

"And that's new, because?"

"No, that's not the point," he said somberly.

"Then, get to the points," she urged.

"He has cirrhosis, and it's only worsening."

"He's not going to stop drinking anytime soon. He wants to waste his life away, so what, who are we to stop him."

"He loved Kate," he pointed out.

"Yet he blames her for not getting into an Ivy," she scoffed, she had never been a fan of Jack.

"She broke up with him before the finals, and that was also the time when the doctors gave him an estimated time of how long he could live."

"So he wants to get as many pussies as he can before he dies? He's a firm believer of you only live once, Pig."

"No, I don't think that's his plan."

"Then what's Hannah doing with him?"

"Hannah, Claire and José works closely with him at SIP, and they often hangout after work and go for drinks. She got drunk one night not long after we broke up, Jack in his usual drunken self started to confess that he was counting down the days he die. He then said that he had one request before he die and that was to find someone that he can truly trust and rely on. Hannah was sad and sappy that night, still not over our break up, so she accepted it and told him that she wanted to forget. One thing led to another, they started a sexual relationship."

"Wow, she's never told me any of this. Not even once mentioned, she just said that she's having sex with some mutual friends that you and her had. You know Jack?"

"He was her colleague, of course I know him. I've met him countless times."

"So we do have the same group of friends."

"Some," he corrected, "some mutual friends. I would never fit into your circle, social butterfly."

"Then what's with Mia and Lily?"

"I have no idea about them. I only know that I have to keep that picture out of Grey's sight, he probably doesn't want to know what his sister's been up to."

"No, but he's bound to know, because I'm sure if I'm sticking around, I'm going to meet Mia eventually and once I met Mia, I'm going to be outed because Lily will be around. Wait, you have no idea what I'm talking about aren't you?"

"Nope," he shook his hand.

"Oh, then, forget that I've said anything. It's my _other_ social circle, and the group of friends that you don't know."

He rolled his eyes but said nothing. He knew their path would only cross so much.

…

"We're here, B." He nudged her awake. "Wake up sleepyhead, before your boyfriend comes hunting me down. Come on, I value my job and my life very much." He shoved her harder this time.

She groaned. "Motherfucker," she cussed at him before blinking her eyes a few times, opening the door to get out of the car the same time as he got out from his side. She had made it abundantly clear the first time he admitted to her that he was the shadow, that she wasn't going to let him open the door for her and do all the gentlemen shit on her.

"Sir," Sawyer nodded at his Boss who was standing in front of the restaurant with Taylor next to him waiting for his girl. "T, I got an update."

Anastasia decided to let the two men talk about the Morton case. At the moment, they both had different plans, but perhaps putting the information they obtained would be more useful for their further investigation.

"Hey baby," she pecked his lips as his arms automatically went around her.

"Hi," he replied a little stiffly.

"What's going on?"

"What were you talking about with the pap?"

"Nothing," she replied truthfully but he still scowled, "I just reminded him of our meeting tonight. Also suggested that he go somewhere else for a picture to sell. He didn't have pictures of us, and he's not going to go blabber about us to the press. You're really not his forte. He usually goes for models and Hollywood people, he's really not interested in your kind."

"What's my kind?"

"Rich assholes," she deadpanned.

"Then what were you talking to Sawyer about?" He demanded. "I know you two were talking even though you were passed out when you two arrived. I can tell by the look in your eyes that you just woke up but from the look that you shared with him before he started talking to Taylor meant that you two has discussed something."

"Jesus, Christians," she was going to call him out for overreacting, but she knew it wouldn't go well with him since it was reasonable for him to react the way he did. Her history with Luke wasn't at all an innocent one, and that would make any man jealous and insecure given that they were still good friends. "I am not keeping anything from you and I'm not denying that we didn't talk, but given the circumstances, I think it's better if we're in a more private setting. Besides, he's now discussing it with Jason, so I'm sure you're going to know the up-to-date version than the one that I can give you."

"What do you mean?"

"We were talking about the Morton thing. He has a theory, but neither of us could be sure."

"How does he know about it?"

"Uh, he was your security advisor at GEH before you moved him to your personal security team. I think he's been on Morton for a long while now. According to him, you've set your eyes on Morton's company long time ago."

"What does he know then?"

"He's got a call from my dad, and he just told me what my dad told him. Then, he told me about his theory."

"Whoa, _he got a call from your dad_? What the fuck?"

"Relax, Christian." She rubbed her forehead, lowering her head wanting to duck away from all the attention that they were suddenly attracting. "He walked in on us sparring once, and I introduced Luke as my personal trainer. He knows we're friends. He now somewhat suspects that he's my bodyguard, but I don't know if he knows it or not. One thing he knows for sure is that Luke is in your personal security team and not a member of GEH's security."

"He knows that because?"

"Because he keeps tabs on Luke. He does that on me, too. He even keep tabs on Kate and Sean. Just to monitor us to make sure that if we ever get in trouble, he'd be able to provide evidence."

"So, Sawyer's your family now?"

"No, but my dad knows that Luke is a very good friend of mine, and he can see that we work well together, so he knows that Luke will be looking out for me."

"Oh, so I will be under his scrutinization once I meet him?"

Anastasia suppressed the gasp when she heard the underlying meaning of his question, she just shook her head and whispered. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Christian." She looked up to see that he wasn't too hurt by her hesitation. "One step at a time." She reminded him.

This was the part that confused her the most. When they first met, he was the one who insisted on having a purely sexual relationship, and she merely agreed and stuck to it. Now, after three months, he told her that he had fell in love with her, and had all but nearly demanded her to reciprocate those feelings. She thought she was already making an effort by not hiding anything from him and being upfront about everything in her life, yet he was still thinking that she wasn't investing enough in this relationship.

It wasn't that she wasn't willing to commit, she just thought it was too fast, and she'd hate for them to go their separate ways just because they were doing everything in the heat of a moment.

She wanted to tell him that he didn't know what love was but she didn't have the heart to break it to him, besides, her response to his confession probably showed that she was unconvinced. She knew that she didn't know what being in love was like, she only knew that it was nice to be loved. She wasn't asking for a fairy tale ending but she was expecting her lover to stand by his statement when he declared his love for her. At the moment, she thought Christian was sheerly saying the words but not knowing how to mean them.

"Let's just sit down and have breakfast. Let them deal with it first."

He didn't look one bit convinced.

"I'll tell you everything over breakfast," she appeased. "Let's just get a table first and order."

...

"Wait, Jessica. Jessica Solano. The ex-sub? The one that insulted me as a Dom?" Christian halted her speech the moment she mentioned the name Jessica. He had always suspected that the girl that was now Anastasia's step-mother, legally.

"Yeah," she confirmed, wondering what was so shocking about it. She thought he knew that his Jessica was the same one that she distaste.

"What has she got to do with everything?"

"Uh, that's why I told you not to interrupt me, Christian," she pointed out. "You'd know by now if you haven't stopped me."

"Bullshit, you'd never tell me that they're the same person."

"Shocking isn't it," she deadpanned. "Well, guess what, you're going to find something even more shocking about this cunt."

"Why do you have to call her a cunt? That's such an insulting word."

"Cuz, I'm a bitch, and what's worse than a bitch? A fucking cunt," she shrugged. "Okay, I'll admit I've been spending too much time with lowly educated people, but you know what I mean. If you're uncomfortable with the word, I'll stop using it. But, you have to get used to my friends calling me Bitch or B for short."

"Why would they call you that?"

"Term of endearment. Besides, I am an arrogant bitch and I know it, so it's only habitual for them to call me what I am."

"We'll talk about this later." He sighed, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Sure," her nonchalant attitude was once again getting on his nerves, but he needed to focus on the Morton issue at hand so he had let it slide.

She continued to recount the conversation between her and Luke about Stephen Morton on their way to IHOP. She had been stuffing pancakes in her mouth, drinking her Frappuccino brought to her by Luke, as if they were talking about the weather and not about someone who was plotting revenge on her and was possibly trying to destroy her from within. Christian on the other hand had been cutting his pancakes into organized pieces but none of them went into his mouth. His coffee sat next to the plate, still untouched. He looked troubled, and his eyes kept farting at the two security sitting at another table not far from them.

"She cheated on me?"

"That's what I said."

"Why didn't I know about it?"

"She'd be stupid to confess."

"It's in the contract."

"A non-legal-binding one, night I add."

"Fuck that bitch."

"Please don't actually do it. First, that'd be cheating on me." She started to say with a serious face. "Second, we might need her to fish for information about Stephen Morton." She continued to deadpan, which made Christian question whether she was joking or she was serious. He wanted to chortle but he didn't. "Now, where was I?"

"She's a slut." He reminded.

"Ah, yes, she is." She agreed, and continued her story telling.

"What is she doing with Morton?"

"Morton gives her money."

"Isn't she married to your father?"

"Yeah, on paper. Their financially separate, and there's an account under Tina's name, and that's where they put all the money for her in. Jess is reasonable when it comes to Tina, at least she doesn't spend her money, and according to my dad, she takes good care of her."

"That woman can take care of something? That's certainly shocking," he snarled with disgust. His feelings for this woman still hadn't changed after all those years.

"Not really. I've seen her in action, she can be a good person if she wants to. Besides, she's not into drugs, she's just addicted to sex. What's so wrong about that?"

Christian shook his head but said nothing. So she kept talking.

"Stop playing with your food, Christian." She chastised lightly when she saw that his food remained untouched just like his drink while hers were almost all finished.

He turned his eyes back on her and glared at her. "Do you have absolutely no regard for your safety, Anastasia?" He growled.

"What the fuck are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. Your privacy has been invaded since birth, and yet your father did nothing about it, _you_ did nothing about it. What's worse is that you're now using that as some sort of valued item in exchange for information. Do you know how easy it was for others to use those pictures as leverage over you? You're pictures, once they're posted, they're no longer yours."

"I know that, Christian. I've been subjected to it since birth, and I know what I'm getting my self into. Fighting it isn't going to make it go away so why not just find a middle ground and learn to compromise and accept. It's now a useful tool for me anyway, so what's the problem? It's not like I'm posting pictures of you on the internet. _Furthermore_ , it's not _me_ who's posting pictures. I don't even have a fucking social media account!"

"You don't, but you don't protect your photos either. You take photos with just about anyone, perv or not."

Anastasia was already pissed off by his turn of conversation topic. She thought she was only informing him about the theory that Luke came up with, and they could just resume whatever they were discussing. But now, he was sitting there seething at her about her safety.

"You know what, let me tell you this, Christian. If you really look into the history or database of Instagram, you'd find a photo of my nude back on a bed. It was posted by José back in high school, he had only posted for the first fifteen minutes after new year, and then he deleted it. I know about it because he asked if he could post it and promised to delete it after fifteen minutes. And, that's the only inappropriate picture of me ever released to the internet." She didn't know why she was telling him this, because this piece of information would only piss him off even more.

Expectedly, he shot up from his seat and marched toward his bodyguards. Anastasia remained in her seat, her eyes subtly watching the exchange between her boyfriend and his employees. She knew whatever it was, if he wouldn't tell her, Luke would.

The kind waitress returned to their table asking if they wanted anything else or anything to drink, but Anastasia was too preoccupied by the reactions of her boyfriend to think about food, so she waved the waitress off politely. She saw the recognition in the waitress's eyes just before she walked away from the table. Anastasia was glad that she didn't say anything, she sent her an appreciating smile when she caught her eyes one last time.

"Anastasia, is what you told me about Jessica is true, then why didn't you tell your dad to just divorce her. Besides, since you're such a good judge of character, why didn't you just tell your father to not marry her in the first place?"

"Oh my god, Christian. You can't put the blame on someone else when you don't want to deal with the complications. Jessica may be a slut, but she's nice as a person. She genuinely takes care of my father and their daughter. Just because she can't keep her legs shut doesn't mean she can't be a nice person. She's really warm hearted, but people have to do what they need to get what they want. She wants money, so she's getting it, and not through illegal actions. Humans are going to be so simple to understand if everyone just goes out to work and make big money and come back home to a happy family. You grew up in a family full of love and care, which is why you won't understand because you were so well protected. You might think that you're fucked up but I think that's because you were so well protected from the outside world that you just don't know what it really looks like; you've been looking at it through a rose-gold lens, and you don't realize it."

"Oh and you know what the real world is like?" He challenged.

"I live in it." She retorted. "Why do you think I'm so experienced in drinking and hanging out at clubs in the middle of the night? Why do you think I've got so many _friends_? Maybe I didn't want to emphasize this, but I grew up on my own. All my dad ever does is send me money and a few phone calls here and there, and if I'm lucky I'd get a Skype call from him. He lived his life and I lived mine, the only time that we spent together is the hunting season. I don't even go back home for Christmas or Thanksgiving all that often. He's made a mistake with Jessica so now he's paying the price, and he knows that it is part of the reason why I rarely go back even after I graduated. Jessica and I don't see eye to eye, though we are civilized around one another for the sake of the kid and my father."

"I'm sorry you had such a rough childhood." He murmured, finally taking a sip of his cold coffee.

"Jesus Christian. I don't need sympathy, much less any pity from anyone! I liked my life as it is. I know that my dad loves me and I love him, too, and that's all that matters. We don't have to be close to share a bond. Maybe I know more about how to survive in this society than you do, but you are achieving more than me in other aspects. I know how to live my life doesn't mean I know how to sustain it. You just don't get it, do you?"

"No. Frankly, I can't understand." He admitted, shaking his head, nursing the drink in front of his lips.

She dropped her hand that was running through her hair not a few seconds ago, and let it fell on to the table in front of her. She groaned in utter defeat.

It was moments like this that made her realize that she was too different from this man.

And, it was moments like this that made her felt like she was living in an unrealistic dream and had been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	19. EIGHTEENTH HOUR

_**EIGHTEENTH HOUR**_

She stared at the side of his face, admiring the contour of his face and the shadow formed from the angle the light shone through the window.

 _Shit like this made me want to get up every morning._

She thought to herself as she thought about opening her eyes in the morning to see this vision in front of her. She thought, for him, she would probably get up willingly just to see him off before going back to sleep. It would be worth it, especially if she got to see him fresh out of the shower and in a suit with his signature scent invading her nostrils. She would even tie his tie for him just to show that her knot was way better looking than his. She would button up his shirt because it looked so fitting on him.

She had a thing for men in suit, and this man in front of her was her fantasy come true.

"Yo like what ya see?"

Her eyes came back to focus and she blinked a few times. He was still looking out the window at the water, but the smirk on his face told her that it was indeed him that had spoken earlier.

She narrowed her eyes to a slit knowing that he was watching her from the corner of his eyes. She couldn't quite fathom his mood or what his thoughts were, but she hated him for breaking her out of her trance.

"You're staring." He pointed out the obvious when her gaze refocused and met his eyes. She nodded acknowledging the fact. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't know. You seemed upset and it must've been something I've done."

"No," she shook her head genuinely confused. "You've done nothing wrong, baby. I was just thinking about our conversations. We are too different and it makes everything hard."

"Hard between us?"

"Yeah. You don't understand my life and I don't really get yours."

"What part of my life don't you get?" He hated the idea of them not working out. He knew they were different, and that was what he was attracted to about her.

"You can't loosen up." She murmured, looking down at her empty cup.

"I'll show you 'loosen up'." He promised in all seriousness. She was skeptical about that declaration but dropped it, so she shrugged in response.

"We'll see." She looked up at him with another purpose. "Shall we go?" She asked as he finished up.

He nodded, standing up and reaching for her hand as his other one reached for the cash, leaving a hefty tip on the table. It made her wonder if it was what he usually would do or was it because he was grateful that the waitress didn't tip them off after recognizing them. She did see the waitress subtly taking pictures of them from the counter from afar, but she didn't alert Christian knowing how he would react.

"You know, I never mentioned it before, but I overheard a conversation between Taylor and Sawyer." He clutched on her hand as if she would pull away once they stepped out of IHOP. "Fancy another walk?"

"Sure," she shrugged. If she wasn't strolling with him right now, she would either be in class in Berkeley or somewhere exercising since sometimes she just couldn't stop moving; hence her fast metabolism that kept her very fit.

"Do you want to know what they were talking about?"

"No," Anastasia deadpanned. She could already guess the topic of the discussion and she knew that Christian was only doing this to strike a light conversation, but she hated the lame and cliché way he was using at the moment.

"Come on, I thought you're curious about everything."

"I don't gossip."

"That's not gossip!"

"And, I don't eavesdrop."

"That's bullshit."

"Okay, you're probably right about that. But I never say anything even if I know about it." She argued, it was a weak argument given that she had already admitted that she would eavesdrop because she was curious.

"I know you're curious about what I overheard."

"Actually, I'm not curious about that. I probably already know the content, so I'm curious about how you reacted to it." She grinned.

"What, you know that Taylor and Sawyer were talking about taking you doing pull-ups?" He stared at her incredulously, and she could just see that he was filtering out the part about Luke's wolf-whistle and lamentation of defeat the last time the had a contest.

She nodded, there was hardly any chit chat between the security guys since they were always working on something, so whenever they had a chat about something during their short breaks, Anastasia would most likely be the topic since she was the new girl.

"And did you know that they had the idea of us competing?"

"Now you're just making things up." She said, calling out on his bullshit.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "But are you up for that challenge? Ready to lose?"

"What are we competing on?" She asked, an underlying tone telling him that her accepting the challenge was a given.

"Pull-ups."

"Time or maximum number?"

"You want to compete with my stamina." He whistled. "You don't know what you're up against."

"We're not in the playroom, so I think I'll stand a chance."

"Fat chance of you winning though."

"Don't make assumptions, Grey. The last time I competed with Luke, he lost."

"Only time he lost. Besides, what did you compete?"

"Not the only time. He only won the timed pull-up contest. He lost all the ones about stamina. So, still wanna challenge me?"

"Oh hell yeah! I'm not going to let you gloat about beating your own security."

"He's my friend!" She corrected, still in accepting of the idea of a CPO, she only agreed because it was Luke that was going to follow her around and she would have Belinda on the days when Luke wasn't available; plus, he had agreed that they could act as her friends to blend in.

"And, I'm certainly not going to let my girlfriend beat me in fitness." He finished his thought, completely disregarding the correction that she made.

"Don't be a sexist pig, Grey. You don't know what you're up against."

"I'm not sexist. I never implied that you're weak, I just said I'm better than you."

"Prove it then."

"Okay, we'll do it. Set a time."

"Some time before we go off for the weekend?" She suggested.

"Good idea," he agreed, "we'll find a slot."

As they walked down the sidewalk, swinging their linked hands like kids a decade younger than them, the sound of a rolling skateboard and a bark from a dog startled Christian and alerted Anastasia. The combination couldn't be more familiar to her.

"Hey Fur Ball!" She whistled loudly and exclaimed when the young golden retriever bounded toward her. A man glided toward them on the skateboard with a huge smirk on his face when he noticed the intertwined hands between the couple. "You're up early." Anastasia commenter as a greeting to the guy who stopped right in front of them.

"It's gonna get too warm later," he shrugged looking at the sky and at the sun that wasn't sending out blazing heat just yet. "Besides, jet lag." He added.

"Right, you were bitching about strip-tease." She laughed with him when they both recalled the string of texts he sent to her early in the morning.

"What are _you_ doing here at this hour? You're usually passed out, at least in a comatose state."

"Went soaring earlier to watch the sunrise," she grinned.

"How romantic," He cooed teasingly which earned him a shove on the shoulder, pushing him off balance and he fell off the skateboard, sending it straight to her feet in which she stopped with a step atop.

"Which board is this?" She asked as she chipped it up and caught it with her free hand to inspect the back. "Oooh, it's the matching one!" She exclaimed, smirking at the black and white pattern of death which was very similar to the tattoo on her arm. "You know what, I'll match." She declared, shrugging off her jacket and pulling her hand out of his grip in the process, revealing her matching ink. Letting the jacket fall casually on to the floor, she set out the board and jumped on it like a professional.

Christian watched his girl in the lose black tank top, the denim shorts with a belt and a pair of dark blue converse. The shoes were clearly for men, but strangely, she was pulling it off better than most people and only second to the actual model. She skated down the road with ease, there was an open where there were several more skaters doing tricks and practicing. There weren't many, since it was still a little early for skaters to come out as they tend to have late nights.

Sean picked up the jacket that Anastasia abandoned earlier and followed her in a jog. As they reached a downward slope, he stopped her.

"Hop on, Chick."

She hung her arms around his neck and they went down the slope together. "Is this supposed to be my warm up?" She asked over the wings blowing next to their ears.

He shrugged.

"That's not fair!" She protested, "I got up so early this morning and haven't been skating for so long and now you're depriving me of the opportunity to warm up, so I can show off to my boyfriend?"

"Wait, he's your boyfriend now?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "the last time I saw him was at the club, and after he approached you that night, you kept standing me up. The times that you didn't blow up can be counted with ten fingers."

"I didn't just run off with him," she defended.

"He must be a beast for you to stand me up."

"You have no idea," she laughed. "He's by far the best. Perfect even." She jumped off the skate mere second before him as he collected it. They were standing face to face.

"Are you just going to give up our dream now that you've found someone?"

"Actually, our _dream_ did sort of come true for me." She emphasized on the word just to remind him that it wasn't some dream that they had, it was just some stupid fantasy that they thought would be fun to try and fulfill during the summer holiday.

"He's not a director is he?"

"No, he's far from it. Hates the entertainment circle." She laughed at the reaction Christian would have if he was ever approached by a tabloid or a journalist. "But, he's rich, and he's got resources. Isn't that our goal? I thought we were looking for sugar daddies."

"We are, but through dancing. You know Honey Daniels was discovered by that director in the club that she works in." He said, referring to the movie HONEY starring Jessica Alba that they watched together a few years back. It was where the idea of them dancing in the Mile High Club stemmed from.

"Well, it's not like if someone offered me a job to become a choreographer or a back-up dancer in some music video, I'd really do it."

"I would, because you've already been in a music video before."

She stared at him for a while longer, wondering just how he got that information. She thought she had kept it strictly between her and Luke, since she didn't want anyone to know. He didn't like talking to other people about his personal private life, and he would only share it with Hannah if they ever got a second chance.

"You told me," he answered the question that was written all over her face.

"When?"

"At that birthday party."

"Are you sure it wasn't Luke?" She looked in the direction where Christian, Jason and Luke were walking down the ramp that they just skated down, and approaching them. Her eyes caught Luke's and she gave him an accusing glare, in which he returned with an affronted expression.

"No, Luke's too busy getting you to puke." He laughed at the memory.

"If I was too busy puking, when the fuck did I get the chance to tell you about the stupid music video?"

"You told me as if that was a secret when Luke went grab a bottle of water and some pills for you. You forced me to listen and swore me to secrecy the moment Luke left." She had no recollection whatsoever about what he was talking about. Then again, her twentieth birthday party was her wildest and perhaps the most wanton given her state of intoxication. The only good thing that came out of it was the termination of her no-strings attached relationship with Luke. They were both grateful that it came to an end since they both felt wrong about it.

"Why would I fucking do that?"

"Hell if I know. Good thing that we're best friends, so I never sold you out. If it were a story from strip-tease, I'd definitely sell it to the highest bidder."

"You meant the next person you see." She deadpanned, knowing exactly just what kind of relationship the Barclay brothers had with their little princess of a sister. "You and I need to talk." She pointed a finger at Luke who simply raised his arms up in surrender.

Jason watched in fascination of the exchange between Anastasia and her supposed CPO. He knew they would make a great team, and her safety would never be a concern. The only problem with that combination though, was that there would never be any professionalism between them and it wasn't something that he thought Grey would ever approve, especially given their past history together.

"I never thought I'd have so much fun watching you act in front of Christian." She laughed, knowing that if Luke wasn't on duty, he'd chew her a new one for accusing him of stuff that he obviously didn't do. He had a mouthful that he wanted to spat out at her, but he didn't want to risk his employment.

 _Bitch_. He mouthed to her from behind Christian and next to Jason. Anastasia did a smug little dance and winked at him.

"Christian, this is Sean Barclay." She pulled her boyfriend closer to her best friend. "And, his dog." She then pointed to the little puppy panting next to the skateboard.

"You're gay best friend." He recalled from the name that she put down in the remarks section under his contact.

"Yes, that's him." She chuckled, it was the first time someone had actually referred him to her like that in person. He knew she called him gay, but it was never used before him by someone else. "Sean, my boyfriend, Christian Grey." She gave him a pointed glare to prevent him from blurting out that she referred to him as her sugar daddy only minutes ago as they talked about their _dream_.

"Good to see you again, C." Sean shook his outstretched hand firmly.

"Again?" Christian questioned.

"The Mile High." Anastasia prodded his stomach when she saw the confusion on his face. "We met there." She reminded.

"Oh, that was you." Christian's gaze returned to the blond.

Sean nodded and then looked past him, noticing two more familiar faces. "That's your Pig isn't it?" He nudged Anastasia.

"Yeah, but he's on duty right now. You can catch up with him later." She explained.

"On duty?"

"Yeah, he's Christian's bodyguard."

"No wonder they say love can change a person."

"Why? What makes you say that?" Anastasia frowned, and was more disturbed by the smile hanging at the corner of his lips. She was suspicious of the meaning behind the tone that he was using.

"You bitch about me and Kate's detail all the damn time, and now bam, you found a guy and he's got a string of security, yet I don't see you complain one bit."

Christian had to laugh at Sean's description of his girlfriend. He could totally imagine Anastasia expressing her strong dismay to the CPOs following those rich kids around.

"Do you know who you're talking about?" Christian chortled, "she's damn near ready to put up a fight with me when I told her that she needs a CPO."

"Chick, you and a CPO just won't get along." Sean jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow, earning a scowl from her.

"I can get along with a CPO if he's Luke," she argued, "besides, it's not a bodyguard that I can't get along with, it's their boss." She jested, throwing a glance at Christian to gauge his reaction.

"You skate?" Christian asked, sticking his chin out at the board that the dog had its fluffy paw on. He had decided to let the way Sean called Anastasia.

Anastasia shot Sean a triumph look and said, "yeah." Christian was still slightly uncomfortable with the silent exchanges between her and the best friend. "You?" She asked, bringing him into the conversation.

"Yeah." He replied in the same light tone that she used to answer him.

"You do?" She did a double take, obviously unaware of the hidden life under the appearance of an old businessman.

"I told you I'll show you how to live a life."

"Sure, you're only five years older than me."

"Which makes me more experienced."

She lifted an eyebrow at him and shook her head. She then gave Sean a look in which he nodded back in understanding, and both of them started to advance to the skateboard that the dog had grown bored of.

"Baby, can you please let this arrogant, prideful bitch borrow the skateboard?" He bent down to the dog who still had its chin rested atop of the board. Bending down as he scooped her up ever so gently, Anastasia rolled her eyes at his description of her. "Go on, Chick."

"What's with the names?" Christian blurted out, unable to hold it back anymore.

Anastasia threw her head back and laughed at the mortified look on Sean's face upon hearing Christian's question.

"Baby is the name of the dog, and he calls me the Chick, so does Elf, just like Luke calls me B. Calls Kate, Sweetie? He uses endearments with his best friends."

"Yeah, I call her Sweetie. I tried to call her Candy but the last time I did, she damn near slammed her high heel in my eye."

"Then what does he call his girlfriends?" Christian asked Anastasia in all seriousness which made her want to laugh even more.

"He never uses endearments. Oh, he probably comes up with a nickname derived from their name." She shrugged at the explanation. "He's a dull and boring man, so it's no wonder that he can't find a girl that'll stay."

"So, you've got the same name as his dog?" He pointed out.

"Fur Ball's name is derived from mine." She declared defiantly.

"Her name is Baby," Sean stressed. Anastasia never accepted that name and insisted on calling the dog Fur Ball.

"I should've never make you watch Baby Driver with me." Anastasia face palmed with a sigh. "You know the movie," she turned to her boyfriend to offer further elaboration on the situation. "I watched and I liked it, thought it was pretty good so asked him and Kate if they wanted to watch it with me. Kate said she didn't like it having already watched it, and Sean agreed. Now, he's obsessed with Ansel Elgort and his supposed car driving skills."

"Which reminds me of your girl crush on Jessica Alba." Sean stared at her incredulously, not knowing what to make of it when she revealed that piece of information about him to a stranger, at least to him.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Christian admitted.

"Argh!" Sean groaned in frustration.

"See, your secret is safe with him. Told you he doesn't know jack shit." She smirked, "now move. It's my show!" She shoved Sean to the side, jumped on to the board and accelerated down to another ramp and proceeded to jump onto the metallic railing as she slid down the slope.

Christian wore an impassive mask during the entire show, he was worrying about her hurting herself if something went wrong. All the same time, he yearned for the feeling of having complete control when he was on a skateboard. He had missed the times before and after the Elena debacle with Elliot before their parents found out. They would skate down the drive way of the Lincoln residence just to rile Elena up, and then wheel away when she stormed out of the house fuming.

The memory brought a tint of emotion on him, and by the time she came back unharmed, he smiled a genuine one, letting the worry fade away.

"You were worried aren't you?" She stopped in front of him, flicking the board up to her hand and asked him a little out of breath.

He shrugged, "maybe."

"You had the same expression on when I did that backflip from your kitchen table."

His eyes widened. "You saw?"

She gave her an affirmative indication which emitted another sigh from him. "Christian, I'm fine. I know what I'm doing."

"You can't know what might happen." He argued.

"No, I can't. Just like I never know what will happen until it happens. Accidents happen like that, you can't possibly prevent it." She retorted. "Now, I hear that you skate?" She lifted the board up to him, changing the subject and diverting his attention from safety instantly.

"I do," he smirked. "You're going to see how a pro does it. You gotta do this shit the right way, ya know?" He gave her nose a feathery peck and took the skateboard from her hand before jumping on the same way she did.

She knew her moves looked a little rusty given that she hadn't been playing it for a while, but since Sean didn't call her out for making a fool of herself, she thought she had done just fine. Sean would be the first to bitch about her performance since they learnt it together, and he had always been the first to judge her.

His moves were even more stiff than hers, probably because he hadn't played since years ago. She could tell that he used to be very good at it, as he still got some moves in him, but he just couldn't get it to the right level. He could be a professional if he didn't stop playing.

"You've been sitting on your ass in that office of yours for too long, Grey." She smirked, taking the board from him and sliding it to Sean who was now behind her waiting for it. The dog was no where to be seen but that wasn't any of their concerns, she always came bounding back whenever Sean or Anastasia whistled.

"Don't act like you're any better," he snorted.

"At least I'm not on my ass every single day." She remarked with a bit of smugness. "But, all in all, you're rich. I get that." She quipped, earning an eye roll from him.

"What can I say about you then." He pondered. "I don't know. What _do_ you do anyway?"

"I don't do shit. I sit on my ass and twiddle my thumb."

"No, that's not true. Ah! I remember, you take nude pics for magazines."

"That's a low blow," she glared at him sideways as she turned to watch Sean go through a routine. It was an old one that he'd always do as warm up. She could see from the corner of her eyes, Fur Ball was rushing back because she couldn't find Sean all of a sudden and panicked. Not wanting her to run on to the space and cause any disturbance for the skateboarders, she let out a small whistle, getting her attention and motioned her to come. "Fur Ball, come here." Anastasia sat down on the floor and opened her arms, reaching for the dog. It looked confused for a moment, looking from Anastasia to the general direction where Sean went off. Then, another whistle from Anastasia made her bouncing on her four chubby legs to her.

"You like dogs?" He asked.

"I like other people's pets."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I like to play with animals, but I don't like to have one as a pet, it's too much responsibility and I can't guarantee that I'd always be in the mood for them. So, it's easier to just play with other people's pet, since I don't have to be responsible for them."

"Do you really hate responsibilities that much?"

"I don't hate it, but I just don't want unnecessary ones. I don't want to add any responsibility on my shoulder, I think I've had enough."

When Sean came back, Anastasia demanded to have another go, leaving Christian and Sean alone together. The two securities were standing out of ear shot but not far from the duo, the jacket Anastasia was wearing was in the hands of Luke.

"Are you two really dating?" Sean moved closer to him and turned to him, chuckling a bit when he saw Baby went chasing after Anastasia as she raced around other skaters. Her attire didn't look like she was here for a skate.

"Not officially, I guess." Christian shrugged, never liking it when people asked about his personal life.

"I know you like her and you're trying to woo her," Sean stated the very obvious.

"Yeah, that's not too hard to guess."

"She doesn't play hard to get, at least not on purpose." He said as if he had any experience in that field. "Don't worry, man, I've never even thought of dating her. We've been friends since high school I think. She had a crush on me in primary."

"How'd you know?"

"She told me about it. We had a good laugh." He let out a chortle, still fond of that memory of when they were just kids. "The more I hang around her the more I can assure you that she's not my type. While it may be a little unsettling to know that I don't think of her as a sister, but I do think of her as family."

"Your point?" Christian stared at him coldly.

"Man, why do you have to be so uptight." Sean exclaimed in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness that was starting to rise. "I want to help you woo her, because I think for once, she's truly showed something to another man."

"What do you mean?"

"She's only had one boyfriend in her life, as far as I'm aware."

"One?"

"You sound surprised," Sean pointed out confused. "Did she not tell you anything about herself?"

"She told me that she likes to party and has a lot of friends."

"The last part is true, even though the friends aren't all real, but she does know a lot of people." Sean agreed, "but for the first part, about the parties, she doesn't like them."

"Then why is she at every one of them?"

"You know sometimes, people do what they're good at in spite that it isn't what they liked? Like, in school, you would naturally choose the subjects that you're good at, and not the subject you liked because you're bad at it."

Christian nodded with some understanding.

"She goes to parties because she's a natural in that field. She a free spirit."

"That much I've figured." Christian muttered, thinking about her and his brother.

"But, she doesn't exactly have a passion in life. There's very little that she's genuinely passionate about, so she does what she's good at so people wouldn't think less of her. She has a high alcohol tolerant, so she always drinks here and there. She has a good body, so she'd accept modelling requests. The list is endless; but just know that she's showing you her true self, and not the kind that she's showing everyone else. She is doing things that she liked in front of you and not doing what she's good at just so she wouldn't embarrass herself."

"Whoa…"

"Just let it sink in, C. You'll get her if you have faith in her. Be patient, man." Sean patted his shoulder, but immediately retracted his hands when he saw him flinch. He had only seen this reaction from Anastasia when someone that wasn't Sean or Kate touched her. So, he knew that he didn't like to be touched by others, in which he would also respect.

"Patience isn't my forte." Christian mumbled, not bothered to correct him of his name, knowing that Sean would probably not change.

"Neither is hers."

Christian chuckled at how true that simple statement was.

"But, patience is a virtue."

…

"B, your phone!" Luke yelled as Anastasia skated near them and caught her right before she turned to do another trick.

"Who is it?" She called back.

"Your dad."

"Take it." She answered, not realizing how uncomfortable Luke was at that situation. His best friend was his boss's girlfriend, and now she was asking him to answer her phone from her father right in front of his boss. He was a firm believer that the father would only be mean to him if he was dating Anastasia, but since that wasn't case, he knew that Grey would be on Ray's shit-list and not him.

"B," Luke beseeched, wanting her to realize that she had just put him in a difficult position.

Christian watched the exchange silently. He and Sean had stopped talking a while ago, leaving him to think about what the best friend had said. Christian was only noticing that all her best friends were guys and she only technically had one girl-friend, which was the journalist.

"I'll take it." Christian reached for the ringing phone when he was sure that Anastasia wasn't going to take the call until she had finished her routine. She didn't like to be interrupted when she was concentrating on practicing her skills.

When the phone reached his hand, the ringing had already stopped. He sighed in relief, because he had no idea what he was going to say to the man.

"I'm back," Anastasia snatched the phone from his hand as she glided passed him. "Pig," she called for Luke, "what did he want?"

"I didn't answer it." Luke replied under the intense gaze of his boss when she didn't call him by his name. It would pose a problem with Grey since Anastasia would never insist on formality, and she was also very good friends with Sawyer. Taylor thought there was nothing to worry about, but he also knew that the Boss would be insecure about the idea of them together in another state.

"I'll call him back," she told him, still standing on the moving skateboard.

"Bitch, I need my board back." Sean announced, giving him a stink eye, she hopped down and pushed the board to his feet, the phone next to her ear.

Christian scowled at the entire exchange. Even with Taylor there, he still felt out of place. The group were so good together, and the interaction between them was so natural and smooth. All of them were acting their age or at least like themselves, yet he felt like he was stuck in a persona that he once thought would shield him from the world and all the collisions.

"Daddy, I'm not at home right now. Can I call you back? I'm on my way home." Appearing in front of Christian, she let her fingertip feel the material of the fabric that he was wearing absentmindedly as she listened to the last part of his dad's call. Her eyes following her hands' movement. "Luke's told me," she replied with a nod. Christian stood there with his hands in his pockets, just admiring her features. He wanted to touch her so bad, but he didn't want to disrupt her, so he let her hands roam around his front as she conversed with her father. "No, I think he's got a legit theory. We'll talk later, yeah?" She nodded and hung up after getting a confirmation from the other side of the line.

"What's wrong?" He asked, pulling her body closer to him the moment she pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Can we go back now?"

He nodded, frowning when she didn't answer his question.

"How long will it take?"

"Half an hour at most." He answered.

"It took us hours to get here, and it'll only take what less than an hour to go back? Where the fuck are we?"

"We took a detour when we came here to avoid the paparazzi or anyone that could spot the car." He explained, pointing out that their plate had the word 'GREY' on it.

"I need to call my dad, you can join me." She was now finally answering his question, and he had find it hard to get used to that she wouldn't always reply to him directly but rather after a few rounds of conversation about other things.

"About Morton?"

"Yeah, we have to sync our information with each other once in a while. You're welcomed to join us in the discussion, since it's got something to do with you, too. I'm video calling him."

"Is that going to be safe though?"

"Through his system, yes."

"Oh, so I'm going to meet your dad."

She shrugged, having never thought about that when she extended the invitation to him.

"I don't mind if you don't. I mean, you asked me to meet your parents, so I don't know. What do you want me to introduce you as? He won't question me when you're there even if I said we're just friends. The first time he saw me and Luke sparring, I said he's my personal trainer, but he knows that there's more going on between us."

"Will he kill me?"

"Not if you're on his shit-list. I can only tell you that he's a trained assassin- I mean killer. So, if you really wronged him, not even the President of the United States can save you." She shrugged nonchalantly but he shuddered at the severeness of it.

"He hasn't done anything to Sawyer knowing that you two had something going on." He pointed out.

"We're just friends. Luke and I never dated. He knows that, which is why he's always nice with Luke because he's just a friend. He probably won't like you much at first because you're my boyfriend. Probably the first one that's serious." She explained thinking about the time in high school when he learned that she had a boyfriend through Kate and Sean. He didn't give it too much thought, knowing that his daughter would tell him if the boy was worth mentioning, so it was clear that Anastasia didn't take him seriously.

"Sean said you only had one boyfriend in your life."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." She said as they walked toward the car side by side after she waved goodbye to Sean and ruffled Fur Ball one last time. "I dated one guy in high school."

"It must be serious then."

"Don't make assumptions out of facts you don't know."

He raised an eyebrow at her accusation, albeit it was true, it still didn't mean that he had to like whenever she chastise him. He could be this conceited jerk for all he cared before he asked for more from her, and now he had endure her way of life. He knew they could be good together, but both of them were too strong-willed and sometimes they would butt-head with each other. On this thought, perhaps distance could strengthen their relationship.

"I told you that I've only had a sexual relationship with a few guys, one of them is my high school boyfriend. I thought I've counted for you already. I'll reiterate it to you again."

"I get it, Anastasia. Your high school boyfriend was the one who posted that nude photo of you on Instagram."

"There's nothing in that picture without context that can be identified as me. It was a picture of my exposed back. From the back of my head to my lower back. All you can see is my hair. You can't even see my hair or the dye, because I placed it under my head." She remember hiding it mostly because she didn't want to be identified that easily due to her dye, but she knew that people in her school would know that it was her because her boyfriend sent it. She told José that she didn't want a close up photo of the end of her hair since she cut her hair herself so it wasn't perfect upon close inspection.

"And how is that any better? Any men that's been intimate with you could easily see that it's you."

"It's been deleted from Instagram. He's deleted that picture."

"Oh but you told me yourself that it's still in the database, so whoever the fuck knows how to do that shit will find a picture of you."

"They will be looking through tons of much more explicit pictures than mine. Trust me no one would hold an interest in my back when there are more fronts on Instagram is you just look for it."

"Did no one tell you that once you post a picture online, they're no longer yours." He sighed exasperatedly, wondering just how could she be so calm about her private life being exposed to the public.

"Yeah, but so what? It can't be used as anything against me. It can't be a blackmail material because you don't have proof that it's me. It doesn't say anything about my private life, because it can't even be proved that it's me in that photo. If someone wants to post it on some porn site, then they can do it. It's a free world. I don't see the problem here, Christian. I still have my privacy, a few pictures won't do shit to me. It's not like my private life is in public exposure like the Kardashians."

"It's dangerous. Don't you see that? It'll bring people to you."

"I'm just an average Jane Doe in other people's eyes, Christian. There are seven point seven billion people on Earth, and I'm sure as fuck I'm not the only one who's had a nude picture taken. Much less a faceless picture that can't even identify me."

"People have the means to find out stuff that you thought you've hide well."

"There's nothing I'm hiding. I just don't know why you're making such a huge deal out of it. A picture like that wouldn't bring threats to you. People who make threats won't use that one fucking picture, Christian. If they want to get me or get you, they'd be standing on a much more solid ground than that. Give a little more credit to your enemies."

Christian was about to argue back, but she had already opened the door herself and settled into the passenger's side of the car that Sawyer was driving. Rolling down the window, she gave her a weary and irritated stare.

"Your choice." She stated simply, referring to which car he would ride in, making it clear that she wasn't going to move from her spot. He sighed and moved to the car in front with Taylor.

They followed behind when Jason drove off. Anastasia still didn't understand what was the point of taking two cars out when there was only four people in total, but if she questioned everything he did, there wouldn't be a chance that their relationship would survive.

"I really want to punch him," she muttered darkly to Luke.

"He can be like that," he agreed, having been working for him for so long, he knew how much of an asshole his Boss could be.

"Why the fuck am I dating him? I was right about dating then." She groaned loudly. "It's a complicated pile of shit!"

"It is, which is why taking a break from Hannah is doing us both something good."

"Didn't you feel something when you saw her and Jack together in that photo?"

"It's just a damn picture, B." He replied with a sigh, telling her that he was still slightly bothered by the sight. "Besides, she told me that she pitied him, which is the reason she jumped in his bed in the first place."

"Will you ever consider getting back together?"

"Yeah," he replied tersely.

"How much do you two still talk?"

"Not much, but we still go to lunch together sometimes."

"That's nice."

"I don't know where we're heading though."

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if she still does for me?"

"I haven't talked to her in so long. At least not about you two."

"I know you two have been talking."

"When is she going to Cali?"

"This week."

"So, I'm not going to get a chance to see her?"

"She's probably back some time next week."

"I'm going there next Monday. Christian's taking me away for the weekend."

"I know, he's spoiling you." She grinned and shrugged, it certainly looked like it. "She'll stay until your birthday."

"Oh," she was suddenly vexed by the thought of her birthday celebration. It would've been so much easier if she had just throw another party like she did each year, get everyone drunk and the birthday was celebrated. She just had to think of something different this year because of the promise that she made Christian about drinking. Karting was the ideal option, but that was also the problem because she didn't want to invite just anyone like she did each and every year prior.

"What are you doing this time?" He asked, somewhat sensing her change of mood.

"Ethan suggested that we go karting, to avoid drinking."

"You're not involving alcohol this time? That's a first."

"Fuck you."

He laughed, "seriously though, what exactly are you thinking of. I'm your security detail after all, so I have to know."

"You just have to be that cocky bastard and play this card don't you?" She grumbled.

"I thought I was the pretentious pig."

"You still are, but you're also a cocky bastard. Besides, Christian is now a sexist pig just like you."

"We're both pigs, okay, but that still didn't answer my question." He smirked when she glared at him.

"I was thinking of only inviting a few that are the closest." She shrugged. "I don't want anything big this time."

"Whoa, what happened to you? Is it Grey?" He teased at the drastic change of style of her birthday plans this year.

"Yup, him." She replied, "I just have to fucking promise him that I'd cut back on the drinking and the partying and all the other shit that I do before I met him. Now, I have to make sure that I fucking stick to that motherfucking promise!"

"Love makes you do shit like that."

"I'm not fucking in love." She snapped at him only to be met with a chuckle.

"He's certainly in love with you."

"Well, he's got a funny way of showing it."

"You're just not that accepting, and you know what, it's hard to get you to accept something, let alone emotions or sentimental shits."

"Well, thank you for telling me how hard of a human being is to hangout with. Wonder what makes you stick around for so long." She commented sarcastically.

"Didn't stick around by choice."

"So you're spying on me now."

"Precisely," he smirked.

"I'll admit I like him okay, but that's as far as my feelings go. I just don't want to let him down just like I'd never want to disappoint you, Kate or Sean. He's in this weird zone, because he can't simply be my friend, yet a friends with benefit relationship just don't sound right."

"I think it's your head that's in a strange zone right now."

"If you aren't driving at the moment, I'd kick you out of this fucking car."

"You hate SUVs."

"I hate you more in this moment."

"Bitch, you've got a lot of anger in you, huh. First, you hate your boyfriend. Then, you're lamenting about love. Now, you're thinking about forcefully removing me from this car. You need to remember that I'm the one driving here!"

"I'm not worried at all about you driving us into a tree, because you value your job more than anything, and if you ever do that, you'd have to endure Grey's wrath." She smirked. "I know I'm safe, but I really really really want to strangle you."

"Why? What they fuck have I done this time to piss off Her Highness."

"You aren't helping me." She mumbled just as his phone rang.

"See who it is." He told her, it was his private phone so it wasn't connected to the bluetooth. She reached into the pocket of his jacket to take out the vibrating device.

When she saw who it was she answered without informing him. "Hey Sean."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	20. NINETEENTH HOUR

**_NINETEENTH_** ** _HOUR_**

 _"Hey Sean."_

"What does that fucker want?" Luke asked, loud enough for Sean to hear even though he wasn't on speaker.

"No, you're not on speaker, Barclay." Anastasia replied. "I'm picking it up because he's driving and he's not supposed to use his phone while he drives."

"Put me on speaker, woman!" Sean demanded just as Anastasia pulled away to switch to speaker mode.

"Jesus man, who lit up your ass." Luke chuckled, "for a guy, you do make way too much noise."

"Oh, and have you seen me in bed, I'll show you how much noises I can make."

"Too much information!" Anastasia cringed away, shrinking down in her seat and covering her ears screaming so her voice could cover Sean's. "That is way too fucking much, Barclay." She exclaimed as Luke laughed, his hands slamming against the steering wheel as he did so.

"What do you want, man?" Luke asked when silence finally resurfaced. Anastasia was still staring at the phone traumatized.

"Nothing much," they could hear the shrug in his voice.

"Nothing much? You clearly called to traumatize me brain." Anastasia shrieked.

"Oh stop it, it's not like you and Luke are any better."

"Sean Barclay, you are a dead man." Luke threatened after sharing a look with Anastasia. "You just broke the law."

"What law?"

"You sworn to everything that would believe you that you'd forget what happened!" Anastasia huffed. "But, it doesn't matter."

"Your man knows then, huh?" Sean asked.

"Not the deeds, but roughly like we had a history, and we're still friends and the basics." She explained. "But," she cut him off before he could make another comment, "what the fuck are you calling for?"

"I want to catch up with Luke, it's been so long. We should definitely be going to that club."

"Which one?" Anastasia knew exactly what he was referring to, because she knew that they were the only interesting clubs that only she and Sean had been to in Seattle.

"The one next to the office," Sean said.

"No, don't go there." Anastasia immediately shot down the idea. "Not that one, go to the other one. The one near that small cafe."

"Why can't he go?"

"It will make him look bad in front his girl." Anastasia said vaguely. She knew that her friends were all kind of isolated from one another and only bonded through her, so they didn't really know much about each other. They only met around the time Anastasia and Luke was planning on ending their sexual relationship. The one time that most of her friends from everywhere gathered to meet one another was at her twentieth birthday party, in which everyone was drunk beyond measure, so they didn't really meet anyone through her; it was an useless gathering.

"He's got a girl somewhere? Why did you tell me man?" Sean demanded.

"Sean," Anastasia warned, "just drop it, yeah? I know you want to meet up with Pig, but he's gotta stick with me now."

"Why?"

"Cause he got a promotion."

"So, he's now your CPO."

"Pretty much. At least he's got higher payment, I don't know what he's going to do as my CPO since there's no way in hell I'm going to let some suit follow me everywhere. I'll keep him in casual clothes."

"You sound like you're talking about your guard dog." Luke grumbled from the side, listening to the whole conversation without understanding much of it.

"Aren't you though? My boyfriend thought it'd be nice to have someone spy on me."

"Well, I ain't your boyfriend, so you can stop taking your frustration out on me. I'll be out of your skin the moment we board the fucking plan to Berkeley. Don't sound like I like this _promotion_."

"Then why the fuck did you take it?"

"Because you fucking picked me."

"Oh, right, that was my demand. I thought you wanted to do close protection, what changed?" She asked.

"The girl," Sean said in the background, apparently still on the phone.

Anastasia's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "I thought you're still working on it." She mumbled somewhat apologetically.

"I am, which is why I don't really want to leave Seattle."

"Right, I understand." She said to herself. "I'll take Belinda, how's that?" She negotiated, suddenly disregarding her own discomfort of having an unfamiliar woman constantly lurking around her.

"Grey has to approve."

"He will."

"You'll go talk to him?"

"Yeah." She agreed whole-heartedly.

"That's nice of you," he remarked lightly but still with appreciation.

"I'm always nice." She scoffed.

"I beg to differ," Sean and Luke said in unison.

"Really, guys? Ganging up on me, that's not nice."

"We learned that from the best." Sean smirked, and she knew he was referring to the times when she pulled pranks on him with the school's pranksters.

"Forgot that you're a joker," Luke chortled, resulting an eye roll from her and a jab in his ribs. "I'm driving, Bitch." He protested even though he didn't even budge when he received that jab. "Stop distracting me."

"Says a guy who went through military training."

"They don't train you how to drive."

"Oh, so you've never drove a tank in the army? Or any armored vehicle? You're definitely a fake soldier."

"Before you guys start to bicker, I need to say one last thing and I'll leave the cross-fire zone." Sean almost yelled through the phone.

"Talk," Anastasia commanded.

"You coming tonight?" Sean asked.

"To what?" Both Anastasia and Luke turned to stare at the phone in confusion.

"The dance party at the Mile High." They could hear Sean's expression of frustration.

"Ooh, right." Anastasia looked up and met Luke's bewildered appearance. "There's a dance party at the Mile High Club, the one Grey owns." She explained briefly.

"Will you be there?" Sean repeated his question to get her attention back.

"I guess," she shrugged. "I mean I don't know what I'm doing tonight, other than sleeping."

"Yeah, well, I'm jet-lagged and you got up at like in the middle of the night. So, we're even. You're coming, if not, I'll go to Kate's apartment and drag your ass to the club." He declared and hung up before she could utter a single sound.

"What was that?"

"He wants to meet up with you," Anastasia recalled.

"I've heard that, but we didn't make any plans as far as I'm concerned. You two went off talking about which club he should take me to."

"But, considering the fact that you're still trying to get Hannah back, I'm going to strongly advice him to not take you to any of the above mentioned clubs."

"What are these clubs? I know you've been there this summer because I was assigned to shadow you, though I know you know I'm tailing you. I'm just surprised that you didn't try to run me off the road when you first discovered that someone was following you."

"I can see through your front shield that it was you in that fucking car. I'm not blind, Pig." She retorted with a snort. "Anyway, the clubs, I'll tell you about them since I'll be going to one of them tonight."

"Before or after the dance party?"

"Probably after. I don't think a dance party can last until midnight. I mean it starts at eight, so it's going to last, at most, till midnight."

"Does Grey know about your plans?"

"No, does he need to know?" She asked him in complete confusion. "I mean I don't know what he has planned until this afternoon, but I thought I'm going back to my place to pack this afternoon." She said, looking at her phone to see the time and then putting it back into the jacket that she carried in her hand.

"I don't know, he's your boyfriend."

"Yeah, but he's your Boss. I'm asking if he needs to know, like per protocol, or does Jason has to know about my whereabouts. My boyfriend is the ultimate stalker, he moved you to his personal security team so he can get reports on where I am and what I'm doing twenty-four seven. I know him well enough to know his aim."

"T has to know about it."

"Oh, but I'm not going to be with Grey tonight."

"I'm still staying with you, that's his instructions for me."

"Seriously? That fucking sucks. I'm sorry I picked you. Can I tell him to switch you for Belinda or some other guy who doesn't have a life?"

"You can try, but I'm not sure he'd believe you since you've never showed any interest in security and now all of a sudden, you were like, 'I want another security and I don't want Luke'. It's going to be suspicious."

"You do have a point." She sniggered at the mimicked voice he made. "I don't know, I'll ask him then."

"What are the clubs? They sound mysterious and forbidden."

"They probably are. I don't know. You know that I've been using a fake ID since high school or even younger, I don't remember. I've been in and out of those places for years."

"Oh, yes, your fake ID." He snickered, "wonder what that boyfriend of yours would say about it."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him, besides I'm using a real one now. I'm no longer underage, so that Fake can go fuck itself."

"Tell me about the clubs, stop stalling."

"I wasn't!" She defended. "Fine, the clubs." She cleared her throat. "The one next to the vacant office, the office that was under Morton's name. It is a sex club." She said, "I discovered it accidentally when I went to check out the office per my father's request."

"A fucking sex club. Bitch, you've been to a sex club? What the fuck are you doing there?"

"Been there with Sean for like once," she shrugged. "I haven't been to a sex club for a long while. I've stumbled into one with my high school boyfriend once when we were in our senior year, I think."

"Didn't you go to prom with Sean?"

"Yeah, I did. The boyfriend didn't mean jack shit to me. He probably likes me for the sex. I don't know; I don't care. Oh, speaking of which, Sean knows about the music video." She turned to face him to see his reaction.

"The one we did in your sophomore year?"

"You sound like we did more than one music videos. We only did one for a celebrity."

"I know what you're talking about, I'm just- it's the _Scared To Be Lonely_ one?"

"Yeah, Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris."

"How did he know? I've only told Hannah about it."

"Well, I didn't tell anyone about it, but according to Sean, I told him about it and swore him to secrecy."

"When was that?"

"What's the only time that I went out of my way in drinking."

"Oh, your twentieth birthday."

"Duh."

"But I was with you the entire time."

"Apparently, according to Sean, you left me with him to get me a bottle of water and some pills, and I pulled him over the moment you left. He said he wasn't the most sober that night either, so he didn't think that was true. I think he knows that by now."

"He couldn't have recognize either of us even if he watched that damn video."

"Yeah, he couldn't, but I told him that when I probably drank myself to death."

"That birthday… it was something."

"Yeah."

"Too much happened."

"Which is also why I didn't want a repeat."

"Well, it tends to get that way in Vegas."

"I know, but this time, I don't really want to do anything that involves drinking. I've had enough of excessive drinking on my birthdays to last a lifetime."

"You were fine in your junior and senior years."

"We weren't in Nevada, too."

"True, but you were still drinking your weight."

"The last two parties were okay. They weren't anything like the one in Vegas, but fuck, I don't know what I really want to do this time."

"Just because you found a boyfriend doesn't mean you should change the way you celebrate."

"He doesn't like it though. He certainly won't be entertained if we do what we did for every past year."

"Why do you care so much about what he thinks?"

"Because I'm keeping him. I've decided to keep someone for a change. He's already pissed off by all the _shenanigans_ I've pulled during the three months. And, he's annoyed by practically call my other antics."

"Like vaping."

"And shooting."

"Why do you have to fall for such a serious guy."

"He… he just makes me feel like I can actually lean on him. He makes me feel safe, I guess."

Luke was silent, he understood her feeling, and he knew that she couldn't find it in any of her close friends, which was why she accepted his proposition when she would normally reject them if some other guy did the same thing. He knew the moment that she had decided to stay, it wasn't because she had fallen in love or simply because of her change of heart, but because he had made her feel the way that no one did. It was something rare to find, and he was glad that she had found it.

There was a moment of silence before Luke picked up on the conversation that they never finished.

"What's the other club that you said I can go to?"

"You mean the one near the small, nameless cafe?" He nodded, "it's a strip club."

"From the sound of it, you've been there way more times than you've been to a sex club."

"You can say that. I've never been to the sex club next to that office more than once, but I've been to other sex clubs. Strip clubs are just a whole other thing. The one that I'm talking about, I've been there a couple of times, because it's the best place for business dealings."

"You go there to conduct business, what, are you a drug dealer or something?"

"No, I'm not a drug lord. Pig, I don't do drugs, you know how much I hate the taste of weed."

"You made it sound like a shady dealing."

"It's not shady, it's just that the person likes to discuss things there."

"Who is that person?"

"You don't know them." She waved her hand vaguely. "I've been to other strip clubs before, but that was also in high school."

"With that scumbag of a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, it's always entertaining to see him drooling over tits and asses."

"Did you actually took him there?"

"No, he took me there. We didn't discover it by chance, he knows that place."

"A regular customer?"

"No, we snuck in."

"Underage."

"Yes. He likes to go there, and I like to watch."

"You are one kinky fucking bitch."

"Takes one to know one."

"I'm not into kinks. Ask Hannah."

"Trust me, I did."

"You talked about that with her?"

"Yeah. She wanted to ask me about sex toys."

"And you're knowledgeable of them because?"

"I did participate in BDSM for three months didn't I? I'm currently dating a kinky bastard, and you're asking me where I got all my knowledge about sex toys from?"

"You didn't all get it from Grey."

"No, I know enough before I met him. Still, Hannah was only dipping her toes in to the water. You can go explore with her. I can tell her what kind of toys to look for, she can be the judge of it."

"Hannah isn't into kinks."

"No, but that doesn't stop a girl from being curious and wanting to try."

"Oh yeah, you were curious and you tried, and now you've made that guy fall in love with you. What's your next move then, huh?"

"He's easy. I didn't plan on making him fall in love with me." She argued, "I was going for a fling, but he had to develop feelings for me, it wasn't my problem is it?"

"But, you do have feelings for him."

"So what?"

"So, here you are. A kinky fucker dating another kinky fucker."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Never pegged you as the kind to influence other girls."

"What, you mean Hannah? I'm not the one who's tainted her oh-so-innocent mind, Pig. You should know your girlfriend. She talks about it with me all the time, she just didn't have the courage to try it, that's all. Perhaps, you should try it with her. You know, just to spike everything up. It'll be fun."

"And you did that with Grey?"

"Hell fucking no!"

"Then why are you giving me advice?"

"Because I want to see you back together with her. You two clearly make one another happy and your breakup is clearly making both of you miserable."

"She looked happy with José and Jack and Claire."

"If you're putting it that way, then I fucking looked happy every single day, does that mean I'm happy?"

"You're grumpy as fuck."

"Exactly; but I looked happy in all the pictures."

"I get your point now."

"Good to know you're not as dense as my kinky boyfriend."

"Who are you meeting tonight?"

"I'm not telling you. It's my shady business." She mocked.

"As your…"

"As my security, you're entitled to know. Well, guess what, news flash, you're not the only one who's working on the Morton case."

"So, it's about Morton then."

"What else would it be?"

"Then, why the fuck should I know about it?"

"Because you'll be running to T and Grey about my whereabouts, and Grey will show up to crash my party."

"Then I won't tell them."

"Then, you're fired. It's that simple. Trust me, Grey wouldn't hesitate to fire your ass if you didn't tell him where I was. I'm doing you a favor right now."

"Whatever, I'm going to get that out of you one way or another. At the very least, I still have Grey. If _I_ can't get you to talk, I'm sure Grey can."

Anastasia was suddenly aware that she didn't have the upper hand when it came to the fight about security. As much as she could threaten Luke about his job, there was nothing she could or would do about her boyfriend if he so insisted to make her do what Luke said for her safety.

"Speaking of Morton," she had decided to just drop the subject entirely, and worry about it later. "Im videoing my dad later when we get back, you going to be there?"

"What, for the video conference?"

"It's not a conference."

"Anything with Raymond Steele face-to-face is a conference. That man is one hell of a force to be reckon with."

"Glad you know that. I think you should prepare Christian for it though. Since you and I both know that the reason he's being nice with you is because you're my friend and not my boyfriend."

Luke snickered and smirked at the idea of his Boss pissing his pants. "I probably should."

"About Morton though, I think it will be better if you're there to share your theory and I'll tell him about what I know. Though, I'll probably know more tomorrow."

"So, you're meeting someone to get information on Morton."

"You can say that." She shrugged, not bothered to correct the technical details.

...

"They look like they're having fun," Christian muttered under his breath grumpily as he stared into the rear view mirror, looking into the car behind them.

Taylor wanted to laugh so bad but he couldn't because he was still on duty with his Boss right next to him. So, he didn't react.

He knew what they were doing. He had been keeping an eye on their actions, too. He had seen Anastasia curling up in her seat to cover her ears, saw Luke laughing so hard that he had almost accidentally pressed on the horn to honk at them.

Jason was glad that Grey could find someone like Anastasia. This girl really was godsend, in spite all her issues and her colorful yet experienced past, he still admired her. Judging from the way they were swaying, he could only guess that they were singing carpool karaoke. Luke didn't look like he was on duty, but then again, it was hard to keep a straight face with the girl.

That girl was literally the female version of Elliot, who also virtually never took anything seriously.

When he turned his head to glance at his Boss under the guise of checking the mirror on that side, he really needed to bit the inside of his cheeks to stifle the laugh that was threatening to bubble through him. It was certainly a first to see him sulking over something that involved a girl.

Albeit the distance that he and Luke kept, they still heard their conversation, brought over by the wind. He and Luke had shared a good silent laugh when they heard the exchange. He didn't know how serious their argument over the nude pictures were, but he couldn't believe his eyes when she jumped into the car with Luke and he stomped to his after a few words between them at her door.

His Boss feared the media, that much he knew. It didn't start as fear, but as annoyance of their constant hounding grew day by day, Grey had grown to obtain a phobia regarding the press. Now that he had a girl who was also under the spotlight, naturally he would freak out over the idea of having a photo of him take, and leaked to the internet.

Grey probably hadn't an inkling idea of just how popular his girl was among this growing generation, even his seven-year-old daughter, Sophie knew about her. The last time Taylor went to visit his daughter, not having enough time to take her out properly. He told her about the girl, and her daughter freaked out when Jason asked her if she wanted to meet Anastasia.

 _"Are you sure it's her, Daddy?" The little blonde girl asked, clutching on to his fingers, and looking him with two big eyes filled with excitement._

 _"I'll ask her to send you a selfie." He offered, but Sophie shook her head instantly disliking the idea because she was too shy to even make her dad ask for something from someone she idolized. "Well, you can also meet her if you want to. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you and take pictures with you." He tried again, rarely seeing her daughter this enthusiastic about something._

 _"No, no, no. Daddy, don't!" She cried in panic when Jason pretended to take out his phone to text Anastasia._

 _"Then, what do you want to do, Sugar?" He asked patiently, really wanting to goad her daughter into meeting Anastasia, a girl he admired himself. "You have an opportunity that none of your friends will ever have." He tried again, knowing that her daughter went to this prestigious school where all of her classmates came from money or power. Since they were in Seattle, there weren't many celebrity kids._

 _"They get to meet her, too. They're rich."_

 _"So are we, Sugar. We are also rich." He told her. His salary wasn't low, but it still couldn't compete with her other classmates, whose family's wealth could almost rival Grey's. Her tuition was included in his benefit, which was why he had so much to spare, because Grey had covered a lot of expenses. For that he was forever grateful for his employer, the young man who appeared to be lost in this world and in the life that he lived in._

 _"They get to meet Ana easily." Sophie argued._

 _"Maybe, but they won't get to know her on a personal level." He knew as soon as he spoke those words that he would lost her, because her seven year-old mind just couldn't process. "They can't be friends with her." He elaborated in an attempt to explain the benefit of meeting Anastasia through him._

 _"Why can I be friends with her then?"_

 _"Because she is Daddy's friend." Jason cooed, feeling like this route might be more successful in persuading his daughter._

 _At first he didn't believe it when Gail said that Grey was falling for his current sub, the internet-red Instagram Model, and she even went as far as saying that she would be staying. They both knew that she was a keeper, but they would never dream of Grey offering something more than sex to a woman. Now, he had to believe because it would give him longer time to fulfill at least one of his daughter's dream._

 _Sophie was why because she thought their family wasn't as prestigious as her friends'. Whenever she went there for a play date, she would be in a resplendent palace, with servants everywhere and driving the most expensive car. Those families bath in gold and live their lives as if they were nobles or the royal family. She felt like she was living in poverty with her father and mother both working an average job and an average house._

 _She had seen Mr Grey once, and for the first time, she understood why she was in the school, because her father worked for a 'royal' member who fit right in to the social status of the parents. What she wouldn't understand was the fact that most of their parents were kissing Mr Grey's ass and they were actually a species that Mr Grey loathed._

...

"Luke, not that song. Shuffle it." She demanded, "fuck, your playlist sucks!"

"What about yours then?" He suggested, not one bit offended by her complaints, it was the dynamic of their relationship.

"My phone is dying."

"Then shut the fuck up!"

"Listen to the radio then."

He switched off the music in his phone and turned on the radio.

"Oh fucking hell!" Both of the groaned when the song S _cared To Be Lonely_ came up. "Goddammit, of all songs, they just have to play this one." She added.

"Sean won't be talking right?"

"No, I sworn him to secrecy. Not even Kate knows."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

"I agree," she said just to keep the conversation going because none of them wanted to listen to the song. It reminded them of their time in the shower naked and being filmed by a crew. The only reason they agreed to shoot that scene was because it paid well and it was just after the end of her finals, he thought they should do it for fun and also as a way to celebrate surviving another year of university. "God knows how Christian will react when he learned that we've been naked together on camera before."

"And, the video has been streamed at list millions of times, just on YouTube."

"Yup, let's hope he never finds out."

"As long as we all keep our mouths shut, I doubt he'll know. I'm just hoping that Sean doesn't open his big fat mouth."

"He won't talk. If I told Kate though, that's going to be an entirely different story."

"We've made too many rash decisions that we somewhat regret when were together."

"Guess we're the worst combo there is."

They laughed, "perhaps. At least we fight well together."

"You mean with each other."

"Same difference."

They shared another laugh just in time to hear the song changed to another one of Calvin Harris's.

"Oh, I was going to record this as a bonus track." She exclaimed, knowing that Luke would have no idea what she was talking about, but she didn't care. He wasn't going to ask anyway.

 _Baby, this is what you came for  
Lightning strikes every time she moves  
And everybody's watching her  
But she's looking at you, oh, oh_

"Oh B, before I forget." Luke turned down the volume, the song still playing in a faint sound.

"Yeah," she stopped humming along. She'd be singing again with him in a matter of minutes since both of them knew way too many songs.

"There's a tattoo convention and a fit expo soon."

"Where?"

"Don't remember, but are you going?"

"Are you?"

"I want to, but my schedule now kind of depends on yours."

"I said I'd get Grey to change it."

"I highly doubt he'd agree."

"He will."

"You sound confident."

"I am, I'll get him to agree."

"Yeah right, I'd like to see you try."

"Fine, suit yourself."

"So?"

"I'm going to both I think. If, I can persuade my boyfriend to join me."

"I'm not enough of a company?"

"Aren't you what, my security?"

"I thought you're making me stay in Seattle."

"Now come to think of it, Hannah's got more business in California than in Seattle, so why don't you just come with me. I'm sure I'd be flying between these two places more frequently than both of you combined now that I'm dating Grey."

"You do have a point."

"I always make a point."

"Don't get all cocky. It doesn't suit you."

"Sue me."

...

They reached Escala thirty minutes later, which made Anastasia wonder just how big of a detour did they take to reach the airfield, she felt like they had gone out of the city and came back. They could've gone to Montesano for all she cared. It was a long-ass drive and she was fucking delighted to have slept half the way.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed before Luke could get a word out of his mouth, but she was sure that Christian had already said something along the lines of hers as well upon the sight in front of the two cars. Taking out her phone, she found Miles's number. "Who?" She snapped, knowing that it wasn't going to be him and he'd more likely be on the other side of Seattle just to try to get something for the business people. He knew getting a picture of the equally exclusive Amazon CEO would be just as worth while as getting a picture of Christian Grey and his girl.

"Donavan."

"What the fuck?" She shrieked."

"Paul? Clayton?"

"Yeah, my bet's on him."

"How the fuck do you know him?"

"He was my high school classmate."

"Oh, so now you talk to your high school assholes."

"I don't, but he reached out."

"Why?"

"Says he got dumped and wanted revenge."

"That ungrateful cunt!"

"Has this got anything to do with you?"

"No, but I know what he's referring to when he said he got dumped."

"Did he cheat?"

"No, he'd never do that, but that doesn't stop him from flirting with everything that's got long mane with a pussy."

"Is that why he got dumped?"

"Close enough."

"Okay. But, sorry man, I don't have a hand in it."

"How the fuck does he know about me and Grey?"

"SM," he said and hung up.

Anastasia stared at the disconnected line for a moment, stunned that he hung up on her after dropping two words, as if it was supposed to mean anything.

Before she could comprehend what he had told her, the Bluetooth rang through the car stereo. Luke answered it on first ring. It was obvious that it was either from Taylor or Grey.

"I want to know who the fuck tipped those fuckers off." Christian demanded.

Anastasia all but chuckled at his behavior. She shook her head and shared a smile with Luke before turning their attention back to Taylor.

"T, is the garage clear?" Luke asked, it was exactly what was on her mind.

"According to the building security, it is."

"But if we go there now, we're simply going to bring the swarm of paps to the back door, which doesn't make any difference." Anastasia commented, finishing Jason's thought.

"Exactly," Jason agreed.

"What about Kate's place?" She suggested.

"Some paps will simply follow us now that they've located us, Ana." Taylor pointed out.

"Right." Anastasia paused, knowing that a plan was just at the tip of her tongue she just had to put it into words. Luke knew that look so remained quiet at the side. "We'll go to Kate's place, and we'll take her car and come back. Since my car is here and there's no way we can get away with a car clearly labeled as part of the Grey fleet."

"What's her car?" Luke asked, even though he had been friends with Anastasia for a very long time, he never properly met her other friends other than seeing them once at her twentieth birthday party, where everyone was drunk, wasted and passed out.

"Mercedes-Benz. A convertible I think."

"Two-seat?"

"Yeah."

"So you're going to ditch security?"

"Actually, no, that's her car in California. The one she has here is a four-seat one." She didn't realize that the call connection hadn't been cut, so Christian and Jason were actually listening to their conversation as they maneuvered out of swarm of cameras. "Or, we can always call Elf to get his truck here." She giggled.

"God, hell no. That truck, bleh." Luke gagged.

"Don't be a pussy, Pig, you've only heard my experience in that thing he calls a vehicle, so don't act like you've been through hell."

"Hearing it from you is already enough."

"Hmm... oh! I've got an even better idea." She turned to face him with that all-to-familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh fuck, you're up to something, and by the looks of it I'm going to be at the receiving end."

"It's nothing bad, trust me."

"I've learned it the hard way to run in the opposite direction when you say that."

"Do you want to know or not?"

"No! I don't want to know, Bitch."

Christian cleared his throat uncomfortably from the other car listening to their comfortable and smooth flowing conversation, but the sound was too faint when caught on to the speaker of the Bluetooth in the car, so Luke and Anastasia both didn't hear it.

"We can go to Hannah's." She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively at him. "Then, you can get down on your fucking knees and grovel."

"Why the fuck am _I_ the one that needs to grovel at her feet? It's not like she didn't kick me out that night."

"Oh yeah, but you'll have a bigger chance of getting her back if you make the effort."

"Groveling isn't equivalent to making an effort."

"It is when you desperately want her back. And don't deny it, you still love her."

"She's moved on."

"Fat chance of that happening. You just told me the real reason she jumped into bed with Jack."

"B," his voice suddenly sounded alarmed. She followed his saucer-wide eyes and found out that the call was still connected.

"Oops," she chuckled softly, "guess the big bad Boss knows your secrets now."

"And you're the one who's let the cat out of the bag." He grumbled, she laughed and reached for the button to hung up when he didn't do it.

"Pussy," she mumbled when the call was disconnected. "Well, that was fun wasn't it, chicken?"

"I prefer to be a pig."

"Yeah, but pigs don't chicken out on shit like that."

"We're talking about my personal life here, woman. And just so you know, just because you and your boyfriend got into a fucking fight and decided to ride in different cars doesn't mean that I'm off duty."

"And what's so wrong about our conversation earlier, which isn't finished by the way."

She smirked at his soured facial expression when the car came to a halt behind Grey's in front of Kate's apartment at Pike Place Market.

"Kinky fucking Bitch," he muttered under his breath as she walked passed him to meet up with Christian who was standing by the door waiting for her.

"At least I'm not an ungrateful one." She sang.

"No, but are you sure it's Donavan."

"I don't know, because I don't know how he could possibly know about my personal life. I mean he dated Claire when I was still in college."

"You're still fresh out of college, technically speaking."

"True, but I've only met him a handful of times."

"Oh but he's vengeful, you know that. He's still plotting his revenge against Claire."

"Is that why Hannah and her starts to hangout with Jack and José? I never see them going out by themselves anymore."

"I think Donavan is trying to drug her."

"And rape her?"

"No, he's not like that. But I think he's going to drug her and dump her somewhere after stripping her."

"So, like in a motel."

"Yeah."

"Hannah better look after her girl then."

"She knows it. She told me this theory."

"Ha, so you are in contact with her more than you've admitted."

He shrugged, it wasn't a crime to keep in contact with the girl that he still had strong feelings for.

"When are you going to make a move? Wait till he dies?"

"I don't know."

"Man up and get her!"

"Yeah I will. After this whole ordeal with Morton subsides."

"Morton... Stephen Morton... oh! Fuck! It's him!"

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	21. TWENTIETH HOUR

**_TWENTIETH HOUR_**

 _"Oh! Fuck! It's him!"_

"Ana," Christian called impatiently, seeing that she and Luke had been rooted in their spot on the sidewalk. He was getting impatient, plus the fact that she and Luke were conversing like the old friends that they were, it didn't help with the jealousy and the rage that was fueling inside him.

"Who?" Luke attempted to get her to tell him, but she had already turned away from him and started heading toward her boyfriend knowing his temper.

"B," Luke called, understanding that according to protocol, Jason would need to sweep the place before they could enter. This meant that they would have little longer to talk and the two men were only waiting for her keys. "Keys." He explained the outstretched hand from Taylor, this made her turn back when she was only a few steps away from Grey. "Give it to T, he needs to do a sweep." He explained, and Anastasia rolled here eyes, catching the metallic object behind her back easily after his toss without much of a glance.

Walking up to Jason, she dropped the keys into his palm, which folded around the keys the minute they touched his hand. He gave her a subtle wink as he turned around to enter the building. He knew exactly how irritated she was about this whole security thing, but it was necessary for a man like her boyfriend.

"Hey," she snaked her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his clavicle, leaning her entire front against his.

He turned his head slightly to peck her on the lips as he brought his arms around her torso, the impatience vanished in an instant and feeling better now that she was with him. "God, I need to get use to your height." He moaned in feigned annoyance.

"Why, I'm too tall? Too short? Or is it because I'm too fit?"

"Oh, I know what you're suggesting, and don't think I can't keep up with you. I'm known for my stamina."

"Really? Hmm… we shall see." She smirked, having a feeling that a sex marathon with him would be entirely different from any sexual act with any of her past partners.

"But, on that note." He paused, indicating that his next phrase had nothing to do with what they were talking about mere seconds ago about sex. "Woman, I'm prohibiting you from wearing heels around me."

"So, the one I wore yesterday also counts?" She asked bemusedly, because that was probably the highest pair of heels she'd ever wear, if she had a choice. She'd never wear anything with a thin stick as a heel, she felt insecure in them.

"You were the same height as me in that." He lamented, with an adorable pout that made her laugh out loud.

"Just for your own peace of mind, baby," she said softly, her voice still laced with heavy humor. "I hate heels, so I'd avoid wearing heels if I can, and the highest I'd ever wear is the kind I wore yesterday. That wasn't so bad was it?"

"No, and that's a relief, because fuck, it's going to be funny when we attend functions and you're always taller than me."

"I was just about to ask you that. So, I get to wear flats to those events right?"

"I don't care what you wear as long as you're comfortable with it." He shrugged, leaning over to give her a lingering kiss on the tip of her nose. Then, he opened his mouth to graze his teeth against her nose, biting it down softly, eliciting a giggle from her as she scrunched it up in an attempt to move it out of his big mouth.

"It itches, Christian." She whined when he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her nose.

"You get tickled so easily," he commented.

"Yeah, because no one's spent their entire life trying to figure out where to tickle me."

"That changes now, though."

"I know, you've been all over me trying to tickle me in the past I don't know how many hours." She deadpanned. "About foot wear though."

"I'm banning you from wearing heels. At least when you're around me."

"I've never loved a ban more than this one."

"You hate heels that much?"

"With a passion," she nodded, "and I think it's stupid that the general public only find women in heels attractive and only allow them to wear heels in formal occasions. Why are we subjected to makeups, accessories and fancy dresses when men only need to put on a suit or a tux and slip on a pair of dress shoes and they're out of the door, while women are expected to waste hours on caking on makeup just so they could look 'good' for a few hours in front people that they don't give two fucks about?"

"Do you do anything to prepare for a party?" He wondered after her rant, understanding her mentality a little bit more and having more insights to her unique pretty head.

"Not really, depending on my mood and the occasion, I usually don't do shit about my appearance, I just get up and leave. The most I've done was a smokey eye with a very dark colored lipstick. I was going for goth I remember, but my skin tone was too tanned and I didn't want to put powder on."

"Why?"

"It's too much effort." She shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was supposed to be obvious. "Besides, people were going to get drunk anyway, so who the fuck cares about what I look like. And, everyone knows how much I don't care about my looks, so I just have to make it presentable, which is easy."

"You're so lazy."

"You have no idea." She unashamedly admitted. "You'll know just how lazy I can get if you stick around."

He chuckled, shaking his head, not believing a single word she'd said.

"Trust me, your brother, Elf is already impressed by my level of laziness, he said it was jaw-dropping." He laughed at the name she had for Elliot, though he'd sometimes call him the Oaf, the name she had for him would probably be more suitable given what his name was.

"Then how are you so fit? And, does that mean your house is also a mess?"

"No, my house isn't a mess, because I'd never mess it up in the first place, knowing I'd be too lazy to tidy it up. I get lazy when I need to do shit I'm not bothered about, and working out is something I'm bothered about and liked. For instance, I'd never bother to cook, so if I don't feel like saving money, which is my only incentive to do a lot of things, I'd just order take out." She tried to explain, but know that there was no way she could just summarize herself to someone because she would be reacting to stuff differently each time and there wasn't anything about her that would always remain the same. There was nothing that was one size fit all to her. "You'll see if you don't kick me out of your life." She decided, settling on showing him.

"Actions speak louder than words."

She smiled at him. "A man after my own heart."

"Oh I'm after your heart alright."

"That was one of my many mottos that made me do reckless shits."

"And gets you in trouble. I might have to ground you."

"I'd like to see you try," she snorted, both of them knew it was an unachievable dream. "You can look out for me, but grounding me? Dude, I thought you're my boyfriend and not my dad. Boyfriends are supposed to indulge in their girlfriends' requests and have fun, not being the spoil sport like daddies, who are always over-protective and stressing about safety, so you can't do shit."

"Trust me, you're going to hate me when it comes to your safety. And, don't think I don't indulge you in your so-called fun, but you're just too much some times." He teased playfully.

"Ouch. Can't handle me, Grey?"

"Me? Never. You're just too much." He muttered, lowering his mouth to hers once more, capturing her lips before she could formulate a response.

This time, he didn't pull away, but he was forced to when they heard a throat clearing behind them. When Christian looked up to throw Luke a dirty look, he informed them like the professional that he was that the apartment was all clear.

Anastasia could just picture that smug look on his face without even sparing him a glance.

"Gotcha," he mouthed to her as she walked past him with Christian to the other side of her.

Scowling back at him in annoyance, she flipped him the bird. She was silently laughing at how many times she had to do exactly that when she hangout with Luke and Hannah. Most of the time, she interrupted their make-out session just to rile them up, but sometimes, she really was trying to warn him about their surroundings and remind them that they were in public, or because she needed their attention about something important.

Luke followed them into the elevator. He situated himself before the couple, blocking the elevator door. He knew Anastasia might do something subtle to cause him some kind of pain as revenge because he would always get back at her whenever she cleared her throat on him and Hannah.

When he eyed the couple from the reflection from the closed elevator door, and saw that Anastasia had Grey pinned against the wall of the metal box, he knew exactly what she was going to do, because he once did it to her. Groaning internally and silently pleading the elevator to move faster, because he was still on duty and the guy signing his cheque was also present, albeit being loudly attacked by his girlfriend.

The smirk on her face when she walked passed him and into the house made him want to smack her face against the wall just like she did to him at his birthday. He was annoyed that she was taking advantage of his employment but that was also the dynamic of their friendship. He let out a frustrated groan just as the couple disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind them.

He could remember that birthday all too well. It was her last year in college, and it was during her winter break. He had decided to celebrate his birthday in somewhere warm, so Hannah offered her beach house. They've broken up but that didn't stop them from being friendly and courteous with one another. They would attend each other's birthday celebration and send gifts if they weren't able to make it. But, they would avoid being alone together, and Anastasia would often be used as their buffer, despite knowing the relationship Anastasia and Luke had once shared.

That birthday, it was one that he could never forget, because he still didn't find a chance to get back at her, and he knew he probably could have that chance. He wasn't holding a grudge against her but he felt so much better after telling Anastasia to do the same thing to Sean once during his birthday, and she filmed it for him. It made him felt so much better. He knew she chose that particular birthday because it was the only one that he only invited his closest buddies, so he wouldn't be embarrassed. He couldn't remember anything else other than the part when he face-planted in the cake because he was being pushed down by her. That was the only thing he remembered about that celebration, he didn't know what happened next or what happened before but he knew that moment was going to be forever in his mind.

 _He was sitting in front of his cake, Hannah at one of his sides and Anastasia at his other. A few other friends from the military was invited, and they sang him the birthday song, and he made his wish. He blew out the candles and just when everyone was clapping and cheering, he felt his head being pushed down by a sudden unknown force, and the next thing he knew was that he was face-planting the cake. He felt his face being smacked into the cake before he could react._

 _At that moment, he knew there could only be one person that'd do this to him, and that would be Anastasia, the seemingly innocent looking brunette with enchanting electric blue eyes, and a deadly tattoo on her arm. She was the ultimate prankster and the biggest fucking bitch in his life._

 _"Bitch, you are so fucking dead!" He growled after lifting his cream-covered face. Turning around to see Hannah holding her phone trying to keep her giggles quiet. "You're in this with her, aren't you?" He asked incredulously. She was laughing too hard to give him an affirmative answer confirming his accusation._

 _Standing up, he looked down eyeing the cake that his face came out of, the entire thing was ruined, but that wasn't the point that he was concerned about. He knew Anastasia would have another identical cake in storage somewhere because she'd probably planned this stunt for a long time just to wait for the right time to pull it on him._

 _"Bitch, come here! Don't be a coward!" He yelled, twisting his body frantically trying to locate his prankster friend. She was currently maneuvering the thin crowd, the sheer amount of people that was invited in which she'd never met._

 _There was a bucket in her hand, and he knew it was full on ice-water just by the look on her face. "You should probably go wash your face. The cake is ruined, but it'd be a shame to let it ruin that pretty little face of yours." She stepped out from the crowd, trying very hard but failing miserably to keep a straight face at the comical appearance he had. "Wait, on second thought, don't move, Pig. Let me help you." She took a step closer, and before he could lung himself at her to stop her from pouring the freezing cold water on him, he was already soaked from top to bottom. The bucket of water struck him directly on his face, washing off the cream in the process. "You're such a fucking loser!" She commented through her laughs proudly and raising the bucket up in the air with her hands._

 _"You little shit," he took the opportunity to attack her with his rigid and stiff body at her. "You just want to kill me, admit it." He tackled her to the ground, making sure that the cream and all the cold water that was dripping down from him along with some of the ice cubes that were not yet melted were all smudged on her. "I like to share, so I'm going to transfer some of those to you." He smirked, "besides, sharing is caring." He continued to smudge everything on him and making her wet when she was wiggling and trying to break free from his iron-grip. Hannah was off the side shaking with laughter but also trying to stop herself so she could keep the phone steady to film all the process._

 _"Hannah helped!" Anastasia protested._

 _"Oh but she doesn't look like she's on your side by the looks of it." He countered, knowing that Hannah would be enjoying this show too much. "By the way, you're cleaning up this mess."_

 _"I'm doing it anyway," she rolled her eyes, "it's not like I wasn't the one cleaning up your apartment after you passed out with Hannah each year on your birthday."_

"What got you giggling like that?" Jason's voice brought him out of his memory. Luke craned his neck in the direction of the bedroom that Grey and Anastasia had just disappeared to before turning to address his direct boss. He had find it unfair that he wasn't on the same rank as Jason because it meant that both him and Anastasia were technically under the scrutiny of Jason and Grey, which wasn't at all liberalizing. He knew this was precisely the reason why she fought him on security decision. If he had been hired by Anastasia and not working under Grey and Jason, she would've been more acceptive.

"I was thinking," Luke thought it might be better to bring it up to him, even though the chances of them actually agreeing on any changes would be thin, he thought it would still be a start by letting him know.

"About what?"

"The job," he stated, waiting for Jason's reaction.

"What's so funny about your job?"

"I wasn't laughing about my job, I was laughing at a memory I had of my birthday where I was pranked by Ana and my ex." He told him, trying not to think back to the event or else he would be laughing again. "That girl is the world biggest prankster."

"She rivals Grey's brother." Jason nodded in agreement. "I've never seen Grey so at lost about something, much less over a girl."

"If he loosens up a little, Ana will definitely pull something on him," Luke betted, "the only people that she hasn't pranked on are the ones that aren't close to her. She's pranked on every close friend that she has for at least once."

"How about you?"

"I've always been her target. Lost count of the times I've been pranked by her. She's only ever pulled pranks on me, Sean and Kate. She and I didn't become best friends until I become her tail after she signed the contract with Grey. Then, she starts to hangout with Elliot, and I'm fucked."

"Lucky you," Jason teased.

"Yeah, lucky me," he sneered. "She'd now work together with Elliot to pull stunts on Kate and Sean but since Kate's got him by the balls, Elliot doesn't usually pull pranks on her anymore, so it's Sean and her pulling pranks on Kate and Elliot and her making fun of Sean."

"So, she's the criminal mastermind."

"Yep, which fucking sucks."

"Why didn't any of you get back at her?"

"We tried, but she'll always know. We've only succeeded once, I think."

"Guess you can't fool a professional."

"No, you can't. She nearly found out of our plan that time but luckily she didn't because she was with Grey, so we'd have Grey to thank for the success of that prank."

"Grey will have your head when he learned that you've all pranked his girl."

"Maybe, but he doesn't have to know, unless B tells him."

"What were you going to tell me about your job?" Jason asked after the conversation about Anastasia and her jokes died down. He knew the goofy girl would give Grey a run for his money and he didn't even know that.

"About Ana's security," Luke morphed into a serious stance all of a sudden. Both of them were sitting on the couch in her living room after having the front door locked and every corner swept.

"She's fighting with Grey about it."

"I know, and I also know what could stop her from fighting against it."

"What?" That caught Jason's attention. As much as he feel for Anastasia whenever Grey brought up the fact that she needed a CPO, he thought it was necessary for her. It wasn't for her wellbeing, but primarily for Grey's state of mind. He could tell that the girl was the Boss's everything, and he'd give anything just to have her back if she was ever taken hostage. Which was why he was insisting on having someone with her. Jason was confident that Anastasia could fend off just about any attack if she was carrying and had her dagger with her, but even he'd feel better if Luke was with her. The two worked well together anyway.

"It's probably a very far-fetched idea," he fidgeted, thinking which was the best way to approach the subject since he didn't know what Jason's thoughts were on this.

"Just out with it."

"She'll be more acceptive of the idea if I don't report to you or Grey."

"Basically, we pay you to be employed by her and listen to her?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"I'm fine with it. For the first time, Luke, I'm fine with you and her on your own and only report when necessary, but Grey certainly won't be fine with it. I know you two can handle yourself together and I understand that she hates being followed and reported of her every action, but Grey wouldn't even budge about the idea."

"What if she talks to him? She might talk him into agreeing?"

"Fat chance of that happening." He grumbled. "If this is Mia or Grace or any other person in the Grey family, I'd veto the idea immediately, but I've seen her in action, so I know she'll be fine. It's not her and the arrangement you proposed that I'm worried about, it's how to get it pass Grey."

"Which is precisely why I'm talking to you now."

"Does she know about this?"

"No. It's something that I've just thought of."

"You should talk to her first, and if she's on board, I think it'll be easier to convince Grey."

"He's got it bad for her." Luke chuckled at the idea of his Boss who had never wavered before any one, not even the blonde wannabe barbie that thought she could just strut through the GEH lobby like she owned it. Now, in front of an Instagram model and an undergraduate, he succumbed to her reasoning.

Luke could remember just how many times he had turned the cunt away and giving strict orders to the building security to remove her whenever she was spotted in their peripheral.

"Inextricable."

The door opened, and Anastasia walked out, appearing every bit like a girl who had been in an intense make-out session…

…

The minute Anastasia locked the door behind her, he attacked. He was all over her body. His hands roaming every inch of her body and his mouth devouring hers. She didn't even get a word out before she was been lifted up and pinned against the closed door. His mouth continued to assault her throat.

"Christian…" she panted, nothing coherent coming out of her lips, not that she knew what she was going to say in the first place. The only word that she knew how to pronounce was his name.

"Yes, baby?" He replied, his mouth trailing down her front to her cleavage that was visible with the tank top she was wearing. Knowing she would like it, he nibbled her skin with his teeth as he travelled down her chest.

"What?" She protested when he stopped abruptly, letting a deep chuckle out of the depth of his lungs. He was still staring at her chest in amusement. She knew she didn't have big boobs because she exercised too much according to her female friends who were all obsessed with gigantic breasts and booties.

"Your tan line," he chortled, licking along.

"What about it?" She pressed her chest in his face, demanding him to continue his assaults on her skin.

"Someone's not doing a good job at sun bathing."

"My boobs just won't get tanned for some reason. I tried, trust me." She told him, voicing the disappointment she had on her boobs about them not tanning like she wanted them to with the rest of her body.

"How do you tan them?" He asked absentmindedly, still thinking of ways to get her into initiating sex so he could still say that he could refrain from sex for twenty-four hours and that it was her fault that they had sex before the day ended.

"Put them under the sun, duh. How else?" She frowned, she could feel his wood poking at her core which wasn't helping her case as she could almost guarantee that there would be fluid dripping down the insides of her thighs if she was bare. She really wanted to jump him but she didn't think he'd appreciate her screaming at the top of her lung in a non-soundproof room with thin walls and two men sitting just outside of the room. So, she refrained.

"And every passerby would see them on display?"

"Well, not if you're on a topless beach. No one would be surprised to see uncovered tits, they'd do a double take if you're wearing a bra."

He growled possessively, "I don't like it."

"I know."

"You know, yet you did it."

"You not liking it doesn't mean I can't do it. I can acknowledge your feelings just like you will acknowledge mine, but you can't demand what I do or what I decide." She frowned, not understanding his logic or where he was coming from. She knew he was possessive, but she didn't believe that he could be that possessive. "It was a topless beach where every single person there is topless. I'm sure you'd see fuckers ogling at full breasts and barely sparing a glance at my small tits. Have you been to a California beach?"

"I've never been to a topless one."

"So, you've been to a beach in California."

He shrugged, failing to see her point. The two definitely needed to polish their communication skill especially with one another, because at this rate, even though they communicate and talk to each other about everything, they'd still find something unexpected because they were simply expecting different things.

"Do you know what the people there are like? Have you seen just how many good looking girls there are on the beach? Do you not notice any of them? I mean, there are thousands of people on the beach on a good day, and at least half of them were with a body to die for."

"So, you've been observing."

"Yeah, why? Can't I admire one's body?"

"I thought you were kidding when you said you're bisexual."

"I am, I'm a hundred percent straight. Staring at another girl's body because I like the shape of it doesn't mean I'm voicing my judgement and it certainly doesn't mean I'm batting for the other team. I'm not even attracted to them, I just like their appearances and bodies, that's all. I wouldn't change a thing about me, and I can still like something else."

He pressed his face into her breasts, letting out a small moan. She didn't know if it was from annoyance or from the feel of her boobs.

"Now, what do you want to do?"

"I want to fuck you." He replied, his voice muffled in her breasts.

"I won't mind, but I thought you want to show me that you're able to refrain from sex for twenty-four hours easily."

"I'm still hard for you."

"That's good to know."

"I'll be walking around hard for the rest of the day, and it's not helping that I can literally smell your arousal."

She giggled at his facial expression and pulled his hair so he could tilt his head to give her a better angle to kiss him. He felt her mouth curling into a smile the more she kissed him. He knew it was because of the erection that was growing in between them.

"Can I at least eat you?"

"That's also sex, baby." She reminded with a gentle chuckle, looking at him softly. He could feel the love she felt for him from that look she was giving him, but he dared not push her to admit it. He just wanted to savor it, it wasn't every day he'd get to see the girl he'd been pining for looking at him like that. "What do you want to do?" She asked again.

"Let's talk about that music video." He suggested, breaking their moment.

She visibly tensed, her mind going to the video that Sean accidentally slipped up about but from the look on his face, she knew that her tensing only alerted him.

"What, baby?"

"Nothing," she muttered, silently berating herself for the reaction. She had just told whoever that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him because he'd never figure out about her appearance with Luke in that official music video for the two artists, she just never thought that there'd be a day she would be the one to blurt out everything. She couldn't believe how much she was telling him and she thought she'd at least reserve some of the more harmless information to herself. After all, it was in the past, and he only needed to be warned about the kind that might come to bite her in the ass in the future.

"It's obviously not nothing." He retorted, "what about the music video?" He asked hoping that he was right about her.

"Did Sean tell you anything about me?"

"Nothing much, just that you're difficult to woo."

"I don't play hard to get." She protested, defending herself and her antics of friend-zoning practically every male in her life, in spite some that she actually thought of starting something with.

"No, you don't do that on purpose."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You do know that you like to put people in the friend-zone. Man, you've got the biggest friend-zone anyone could ask for."

"What's so bad about that?"

"What's so bad is that it makes it hard for a guy to get close to you and get past that ocean-sized friend-zone of yours."

"You're not in that zone." She pointed out.

"I'm not, and I'm really lucky that I'm not, because from what I've been told, I'm the first and the only one that's ever been in a zone that doesn't belong to your friend-zone."

"That's good right?"

"Of fucking course it's good! He told me that I'm the first guy that you've shown genuine interest in and from the looks of it, you planned on keeping me."

"Yeah, I think it's good to keep you around."

"I agree. So, what are you worried about?"

She stared into his sincere gaze, realizing that he had never actually registered the comment about the music video that she had done in the past. He had finally come to accept and compromise with her past, and she felt so guilty about what she was going to spring on him if she told him about the music video. On the other hand, if she didn't tell him, then a part of her would be eaten up by it because she had somewhat lied to him.

"Do you want to know something?"

"Not if it's necessary. Why?"

"It might be a little disturbing for you to hear."

"Oh please, spare me the feelings, I think I've heard enough disturbing stories from you."

"Not really," she murmured to herself. "I just want you to know that I won't tell you unless you want to know about it, but what I'm not telling you isn't ever going to affect us in the future. It's not something that'd come back to haunt us." She assured him.

"Then, I don't want to know."

"Okay," she nodded, satisfied about the answer. She only preyed that if he ever watched that video by chance or for whatever reason, he'd never recognize her body. The time she filmed it with Luke, her back muscles weren't as obvious and toned as hers now, so she hoped the difference would make sure she wouldn't be identified. "You know what?" She was only able to keep silent for so short before feeling the need to blurt it out.

"You want to tell me, don't you?"

"I don't, but now that I started to think about it, I feel bad about not telling you."

"But, I won't like it if you tell me."

"No…" she contemplated on the best approach to settle her consciousness and also not to upset him in the process.

"So, what do _you_ want to do?" He asked, throwing the question back at her.

"Can I show you a video?" She didn't even sounded confident herself, it was obvious to Christian that she was still conflicted about what she should do. As much as he wanted to help her and just let her tell him, he wasn't sure he'd want to be responsible for the actions he took on impulse.

He nodded, placing her feet back on to the floor. She pushed him back until the back of his legs hit the side of her bed forcing him to sit down.

"Get comfortable," she said before opening the door. "Hey," she greeted them casually, completely disregarding their uncomfortable shifts in their spots. She thought it was because of her appearance because she didn't know what they have been talking about when she was in the room with Christian. "Make yourself at home. If you want food or drink, just go rummage through the kitchen." She waved at them dismissively, grabbed the laptop that was on the kitchen table and walked back in to the room, slamming the door shut with her foot.

"Can't you just close the door quietly with your hand? It's not like both of your hands are occupied." Christian scolded her after jumping startled at the sound of the door slamming.

"Sorry," she apologized, only half meaning the word. "Too lazy." She shrugged.

"Indeed you are." He was now starting to believe her description of herself outside of the apartment. "How long are we staying here, by the way?" He asked, thinking of the real reason they were here in the first place.

"However long you want. I don't care if I stay the night here. We can leave the place and go back to Escala if you don't mind the paps. I can try to divert their attention away from us at least for us to get back." She suggested, but all he heard was the second sentence.

"You're spending the week with me." He declared, his tone left no place for argument.

"Yes, Boss," she rolled her eyes at his demanding tone, not that she was expecting anything less from him, and she sort of knew that he would say this.

"I'm keeping tabs on how many times you rolled your eyes."

"If you want to spank me, you just have to ask." She rolled her eyes again, this time right in front of his face to make sure that he saw it.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Why would I?"

"So I can make you cum by spanking you."

"You think that's not a form of sex." She snorted, nestling beside him and setting the computer on her lap.

"Is that your desktop?"

"What?" She swiped to display her desktop, it was a picture of her playing Frisbee with Sean, and the shot captured just at the right moment she jumped and reached higher than Sean. It was probably one of the few countable times that she had skied him and it was one of her proudest moments. "This is me skying Sean. I keep rubbing it in his face." She explained, but he didn't understand any of it that she had said other than the fact that she looked proud and happy about it.

"No, the other one, the one you opened to."

"Oh, this one?" She minimized all the windows on that desktop and stared at a picture of her and Adam Lambert at a music festival.

She was in a long black t-shirt with a black leather jacket. Her boots were reaching her mid-thigh, and there was only a section of her thigh that was exposed. She had the darkest smokey eye with a little bit of silver, and there were a thin layer of chap stick on her lips. Next to her stood Adam Lambert, her favorite singer. Both of them had their collars up and their backs to one another, glaring at the camera, the collars half covering their smirks.

"Who is the guy?"

"Adam Lambert. You don't know him?" She asked already knowing the answer.

"Is he gay?"

"Yes," she replied, staring at the photo. "He's my favourite singer." She explained. "I've finally met him a few years ago. This is probably the second time that I've done heavy makeup, but it was worth it." She shrugged, "I've also met Taylor Momsen, my favorite female rock star. I know you don't know them, it's okay, you don't like their style anyway."

"I don't know you like rock music."

"I listen to a wide range, but yes, I like rock in general. I also listen to pop music but I like those alternative ones better."

"I'll stick with classics I guess." He said as an afterthought.

"This is the one with Taylor," she smiled fondly at the memory at that rock music festival while gazing at the desktop picture before her. She and Taylor were about the same height but since the platinum blonde was in heels, Anastasia appeared shorter than her. "But, the one with Adam was my favorite." She announced, merely informing him of the information.

"I don't like him."

"I know you don't. It's not hard to figure out what type you'd like."

"What's my type then?"

"You can figure that out when I take you to an award ceremony."

"I'm not going to Hollywood to see some celebrities." He said petulantly.

"They're human, Christian, just like you. Fame doesn't change your species and most of the celebrities are nice in person. All of them are acting in front of the cameras, no matter what camera it is."

He was quiet, because he didn't believe a word she said. He had been hearing about this celebrity that Mia liked but apparently she turned out to be a brat, and was actually snobby to people in person when he accidentally watched a video of her online.

"Ariana Grande is an exception." Anastasia shrugged, "she's a nightmare."

Christian stared at her wondering just how did she know.

"She's known for being a prick. Though, I'll admit that her voice is something, but that still doesn't make me like her or her songs." She shrugged.

"Have you met her?"

"Yeah, and I don't like her."

"Don't tell Mia that." She looked at him and then understood the reason behind the request, she chuckled.

"Mia…" shaking her head, "if only she's not so well protected."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	22. TWENTY-FIRST HOUR

**_TWENTY-FIRST HOUR_**

When Christian was watching the video, she walked out of the room wanting to find something to eat. Looking at the time, she noticed that it was already nearly half past twelve. It was no wonder that she was hungry.

"I showed him the video," she told Luke who was apparently the only one in the room since Jason went back to Escala. For what reason she didn't know but didn't bother to ask either.

Luke stared at him for a while before registering what she was referring to. "You... why?"

"Sean brought it up." She said, still feeling contrite about the whole thing since she was the one who spilled the beans to Sean in the first place, so she's got no one to blame but herself for being in the situation that she was currently in.

"That much I know, but I thought you want to forget about it. After all, we did for the money and nothing else."

She sighed, he did have a point and she was already feeling stupid for tending up when he brought up the music video, even though he was referring to the one that they'd be making. It was because of the fact that it had been brought to the forefront of her mind and she had already told herself that she wasn't going to hide anything from him, so the trigger only made felt guilty about keeping it from him.

"It was a nasty thing to tell your boyfriend though." He came to her rescue.

"Hannah handled it well."

"No, actually no. I didn't tell you that, but she had shut me out for almost a month, until one day I went to her workplace."

"But you monitored her phone though."

"Which is how I learned when she was where." He admitted.

"I'm sorry, Pig. It was my idea to accept it and fuck, it seemed like every decision I made with you was reckless and wrong."

"We didn't start that part of our friendship the way it should be. And, it should never have happened."

"We just showed up at the wrong place in the wrong time, so we made the wrong decision. And now, there was collateral damage." She sighed.

"You're not entirely at fault, I played a part, too."

"I know that, but that doesn't change anything, does it?"

"No, but at least we've both learned from it."

"Yeah, but it's too late now."

"Nothing is too late."

She snorted, "is that why you haven't made your move?"

"No."

She shook her head, believing what he had answered but not wanting divulge in this conversation further, she placed her face in her palms trying to rub out the frustration. It only increased the more she thought about the fucked up situation that she had placed herself in.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "I'm sorry to put you through this." She told Luke before walking into the kitchen to distract herself by finding food in cupboards and the fridge.

Luke didn't even have the chance to think about the words that she had said to him when the bedroom door opened, and he knew he had to brace himself for Grey's attack.

"You're fired." He stated in a deadly-calm voice, it was the calm before the storm, and Luke had to embrace the storm as if he had a choice. He had sort of anticipated the exact reaction, he just never thought it would be said in such an eerily calm tone.

Luke knew that he and his job were doomed the minute Anastasia informed him that she had showed Grey the video. He knew first hand that if a guy truly loved their woman, there would be no way for them to not recognize the girl from anywhere, no matter the amount of the parts exposed to view.

"I figured as much," he muttered, moving from his spot to the kitchen where Anastasia disappeared to seconds ago. He wanted her to be there when he express his ideas about her security to him. He had been focusing on his job all his life, just trying to make money and have a life where he could live comfortably without having to worry about anything. He had no family, which was what prompted him to join the Marines in the first place, now that he had been making a decent amount each month, he had saved enough to not work for the rest of the year.

"Why, Christian?" Anastasia asked sounding distraught. She wanted to fight for Luke's employment not only because he was her friend and knew how important the job was for him, but she also knew that it was extremely unfair to punish Luke for the past that also involved her. Just because he was in love with her and refused to punish her didn't mean that Luke deserved the punishment. He had been the perfect employee to Grey, and there really wasn't a flaw in his performance both at GEH and also in his personal security team. "I know you're angry, upset and insecure, but please don't make a rash decision."

Christian all but glared at her. Being told about her history was one thing, seeing them in action was another. He knew that it was all an act for the camera, but knowing that they might've been like that in private before still vexed him. He was insecure, that part was true. He had never been good at sharing, especially something that he loved. This girl was precious to him, and part of him wanted to own her and possess her, but he knew that was wrong, yet his jealous streak was always leading him to that kind of behavior.

"Do you want anything to eat, Christian?" Anastasia asked tentatively, because he was using all of his energy glaring at Luke, Anastasia had no idea what he was truly thinking or planning to do about the situation. It wasn't like she had cheated but she knew it would be hard on him knowing that two people who had a sexual history and were still very close friends would be working together in another state thousand miles away from him. Naturally, he would be insecure about the arrangement, and she understood that, which was also why she wanted to ask him to switch Luke with Belinda.

Christian didn't give her a response, and she wanted to yell in his face for throwing a tantrum like that and being unreasonable over something in the past, but she didn't. She reminded herself that everyone had different ways of expressing their feelings and different coping mechanism, so she'd have to respect his way of coping.

"You?" She caught Luke's gaze and mouthed it to him with a slight raise of an eyebrow. They could communicate through facial expression and mouthing the words in silence, which was a skill that she shared with only people that she was closed to, other people, she couldn't care less what they were trying to tell her.

He nodded in response, but the nod was subtle and the movement was small. She nodded and turned around to produce a plate of sandwich and slid it before him.

She thought it'd be best to leave Christian there sulking by himself, or if he wanted to talk to Luke privately, so she picked up the one she made herself and left the kitchen. Another plate was on the table with two more sandwiches, one intended for Christian and another intended for Jason if he got back.

She had no idea how he figured out that the one in the video was her, but once he figured out that it was her, it wouldn't be hard for him to put two and two together to figure out that it was her and Luke who were the naked models in the background under the shower.

"If I may," Luke spoke up first, which caught Anastasia's attention. It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop and it wasn't her style either, but this was a conversation that she would be interested in hearing. "I'd like to suggest a way of easing Ana into accepting a security detail before I go." Anastasia found it surprising that Luke would accept the decision without much of a fight or an argument.

Christian was obviously unamused by his boldness, and was still silently fuming and getting over his jealousy of the man sitting in front of him. She did notice that his tone and his stance appeared to be less formal and more relaxed, perhaps determined that he'd never get the job back.

"It would be better if you don't control her detail."

"Meaning?" Christian said curtly, his tone gruff and unpleasant.

"Whoever you're going to assign as her detail, let them work together and don't demand a report or her whereabouts. Unless they have a problem, they will report to you, but otherwise, stay out of it."

"Who is the detail going to report to?" He asked tersely, equally displeased from the suggestion.

"No one."

"Not even Taylor."

"No," Luke shook his head, "they report to no one but to Ana. This way, she will have control over her own safety and well-being. If there's a situation that requires backup, they will call in, but under normal circumstances, they should be on their own."

"How the fuck would I know if she's safe then?"

"So, tell me, Mr Grey." Luke took on a challenging tone, one that he'd only dare to use against Christian Grey when he had already learned his fate. Ignoring his glare, he continued. "Is hiring a CPO for Ana for your own sanity or for her safety? Because you're demanding to have her stalked and under surveillance twenty-four seven, which is not the way you should treat a girlfriend. If she is your submissive, then I'd have no problem with your implementation of security detail, but she isn't."

"I don't believe it concerns you about what goes on between me and my girlfriend." He said through his gritted teeth menacingly.

Anastasia could sense a fight, if not then a heated argument starting to form, so she quickly stuffed the rest of the sandwich into her mouth and strutted into the kitchen, pretending to be taking care of the dishes. She had noticed that none of them had even touched the sandwich on the table. He thought Luke would be concerning about his employment but from the looks of it, he was trying to help her case. She appreciate it, but she thought she could address the issue herself with Grey. It wasn't surprising to find him defending her, and in a way, he was helping Grey to get to know her better. For that, she was thankful, but at the same time, she wished she could do more to help him.

"Baby," she rested her hand atop of his chest and applied a little pressure to get his attention, "can I talk to you for a moment?" She requested softly, her tone contained no malice whatsoever, it was just a simple request.

"If you're trying to defend _him_ , then you're barking up the wrong tree. He's fired."

"I'm not," she placated, deciding to let him calm down first before approaching him with the subject of Luke's employment.

He glared at Luke one last time before allowing himself to be dragged back into her bedroom.

"What the fuck do you think you were doing when you filmed that shit?" He exclaimed the minute the door was shut behind them.

"There's nothing in the house that's soundproof, Christian." She reminded, heaving out a heavy sigh.

"I don't give a fuck!"

"Okay," she sighed, "then can we talk about my security?" She asked with patience that she didn't know she had until she realized that she had to be patient with the man if she wanted a future with him.

"Are you seriously considering what he said?" He glowered, knowing that she was eavesdropping because he could feel that she was near when he had the conversation with Luke earlier.

"He is right, though."

"Oh, so you're siding with him now?"

"I'm not siding with anyone, but I agree with him and I liked his suggestion. Christian, I didn't say I agree with him because we had history or because he's my friend, but because he knows me and he knows that it is a compromise."

"Compromise?" He scoffed, "how the fuck would that be a compromise? I pay some fucker to be your security only to have them report to me if something happened and they need backup. How the fuck is that a security?"

"Christian, let's start from the beginning shall we?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"What _are_ you trying to achieve by assigning a CPO to me?"

"To keep your safe, because I worry about your safety."

"Okay, so you want to keep me safe." He nodded, "so, the CPO can keep me safe." He nodded again, "then, if the CPO doesn't report to you, does it mean that the person's not with me?"

" _I_ need to know that you're safe."

"So, why can't you just call me?"

The question caught him off guard, "because sometimes you're unreachable."

"What you're saying is that I have to be at your beck and call?"

"No! You're not enslaved to me, don't put words in my mouth."

"So, what's wrong with sometimes me being unreachable?"

"I get worried."

"If my CPO doesn't report you of a problem and I'm in class, what are you worried about?"

"Something might've happened to you."

"If that's the case, then why didn't my CPO tell you about it?"

"They might be out already."

"If they're out so easily, what's the point of hiring a CPO, then?"

He sighed frustratedly, hating the calmness in her voice. He would always think of the worst when it came to his loved ones, he was afraid of losing them and he was afraid of people leaving him over night. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, little did he know that he had both shoes on.

"What do you want, Anastasia?"

"I will accept a CPO, under the following conditions." She bargained, knowing that she had won by reasoning with him. She just wanted him to see how ridiculous his concept of security was. It wasn't for her safety, it was for his peace of mind and his sanity.

"I'll think about them."

"It has to be Belinda Prescott." She stated.

He nodded indicating that he was listening.

"She is to be Jason's second in command."

"Why?"

Ignoring him, she decided to answer him later, she continued to lay out her conditions. "She doesn't report to you or Jason unless something happens." She paused, very briefly this time. "You don't call her and threaten for updates on me, and you don't have Jason call her for the same purpose either. We make our own decisions and we operate on our own. She is there for me and not for you, so on paper, she's your employee, but in actuality, she works for me."

"You want me to pay her to work for you."

"Yes, now that's not so hard to understand is it?"

"I have to run it past Taylor." He muttered, it was just something he said to stall time because he didn't like it one bit and he wasn't going to agree to it but he couldn't find a rational answer that she would accept. He only hoped that Taylor would reject the plan.

"You can discuss this with him when he gets back." She shrugged, getting up from the spot that she was sitting on, opened her bedroom door and walked out. "Oh, never mind, he's back."

"Taylor," Christian barked, "a moment." Jason had barely sat down before he was summoned to the guest room in the apartment, leaving Luke and her on their own. "No funny business, Sawyer."

Anastasia couldn't help but snigger when he was out of ear shot. "Does T know about it?"

"T doesn't believe that I'd get fired for real."

"I don't believe it either." She snorted, "you finished the sandwich?"

"Yeah, and T ate one, too." She was sure if Jason was there, he'd say something to compliment her sandwich out of courtesy but since Luke was practically family, there was no need.

"I think I've talked him into paying someone to work for me."

"That's nice," he smiled.

"Why did you do it?" She blurted out, it had been bothering her since he first started talking.

"I think it's probably time for me to face life and get my head out of my work."

"You don't want this job anymore?" She asked, there she was still thinking of ways to get Christian to take back his words.

"It's not that I don't want it, but I think I need to put less focus on it."

"Finally," she exclaimed. "I've been telling you to balance your work and personal life years ago."

"I want Hannah back." He announced.

"Psh, and if that wasn't obvious enough." She rolled her eyes. "It's time for you to get real, Pig." She leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing her ankles.

"You'll help me right?"

"Of course. Hannah is my friend, but she's not you." She smiled genuinely. Just like him, she would always support him and his decision even if it meant losing something else in the process. He had just proved the depth of their friendship earlier by arguing with Christian about her problems with security. "So, do you still want this job?"

"Yeah," he admitted quietly, "but I think I'd like to go back to being the Head of Security at GEH."

"I think that'd be wise," she agreed. "Don't worry, you'll have that job back. It'll all be the same after all. You can still hangout with me and T during your time off, and I can still help you woo your girl." She grinned.

"It'll be like when we first met then."

"I hope so. Only I'm no longer looking for a friends with benefit, no-strings attached relationship."

"Yeah, because you've found your man."

She nodded, "so, I say you go get your girl back. I truly believe that you two are meant to be but were scared off by the gap between the current situation and the next step."

"I'm glad you found Grey."

"Enough of the sappy shit, Pig. We don't do sappy."

At that, they shared a laugh.

…

"You knew about the plan?" Christian's roar sliced through the silence, the sound drowned out Luke and Anastasia's laughter from the kitchen. Taylor all but nodded confidently. "You knew about it and you don't think it's another reckless antics from Anastasia?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I've seen Ana in action and I'm confident in her ability to take care of herself."

"What if she got ambushed, how is she supposed to take down a group of people? I know it rarely happens, but I'm not going to take any chances when it comes to her safety."

"Sir, the idea isn't to strip her of a CPO, she still has protection but she'll feel better and more secure when she knows that the person protecting her is working for her and not for another person."

"The person works for _me_!"

"Which is precisely why she wouldn't agree to a CPO. A person that is supposed to protect her takes orders from another person, how will that make Ana feel secure?"

He felt like Taylor was starting to make sense, but he still refused to acknowledge that. He would never have a good night's sleep if he didn't know what she was up to. He knew he'd be worrying about her all day long and never be able to focus on anything.

"So, you're agreeing to Sawyer's proposal?"

"Yes, because Ana has the ability to protect herself and a bodyguard is just an added bonus. If it is your family that is requesting this, I'd have vetoed it the instance it was brought up."

"Everyone is confident that she's capable of defending herself."

"Because she can, sir. You may not have seen her train but I've seen her sessions with Sawyer and they are intense. She can be deadly, if you just see her in the fight club or in the shooting range."

"Has she killed before?"

"No," Taylor shook his head confused as to where this question came from. "She may be heavily guarded but she's not cold-blooded. She may appear to be cold-hearted but she wouldn't deliberately kill someone if not for the reason of self-defense. Besides, she's going to study criminology and law, I am sure she's going to be the expert in this than any of us."

"I still don't like this."

"Maybe we can start with a trial first." He suggested. "Starting from next week when she's in Berkeley, Prescott will go with her and they will work together independently. We will see how it works out, give it a month before making the final decision to the arrangement." He knew this was what the Boss needed to hear, since he was having trouble accepting everything.

"Okay," he agreed begrudgingly. He was only ever so reluctant when it came to the safety of his loved ones, and Anastasia was no-doubt at the top of the list.

"For the time being, let Sawyer work with her."

"Sawyer?" Christian's ire returned. "Do you know what happened between them?"

"I am aware of their history, but everyone has a past. I understand your insecurities, but from what I have observed, sir, he has never looked at Ana the way you look at her and vice versa. They are both seriously committed to someone which isn't the other person."

Christian stared, he was speechless not because of anything that shocked him but because he truly was at lost of what to think. For the first time, he felt like there was a barrier, an obstacle before him preventing him from making a decision. He could feel its pull, dragging him back by the hem of his shirt and keeping him from giving Taylor the go ahead to do what he thought was best. He had never struggled to make a decision, he had been making them as a Dominant and as a CEO, and making important decisions was his strength. Yet, he felt at lost at the moment.

"Where were you earlier? Ana said you're not here." He asked, he still needed time to think and to get over whatever that was in the way or restricting him from making that decision. He knew Taylor's plan was perfect and it was suitable for Anastasia, but a part of him felt like he was losing control.

Control. Perhaps that was what he was grasping on, and not what was grasping him.

"I went scouting the locations that you've sent me earlier. The beach part is rather hard to film, not that people might recognize you or Ana, but it's too crowded. Then, the bar, we can use the Mile High, but that means shutting it down for a few hours."

"We can shut it for a few hours in the morning. The bar is more popular at night anyway. Just keep the club, the restaurant open." He agreed, granting him permission. This decision wasn't hard to make...

"Also, I've informed Gail of the idea, and she's up to filming for you."

"What about the motel?"

"That's easy to find."

"One that's hygienic but looks cheap?"

"There're all over the city."

"Okay, good. Then I'll ask Ana about it. She probably knows more about the whole process since she's friends with photographers and, well, just a lot people in general." He said with a shrug, and Taylor knew he had just been dismissed.

...

"B, your phone." Luke called after they tried to eavesdrop from the kitchen, which diverted all their focus. Scowling, she hopped down the kitchen counter to retrieve her vibrating cell. "Who is it?" He asked when she frowned at the phone in confusion.

"José." She murmured, sliding to answer the phone. "Hey," she greeted.

"Ana, I need a favor from you."

She was now doubtful. Of all the years when he had a chance to contact her after they broke up after high school, he'd never been so fast to cut to the chase. He'd always be going around in circles before Jack smacked him in the head to tell him to hurry up so they would leave for some pub.

"Uh... I'll see what I can do." She wasn't one to turn down a favor without knowing about it in advance, and she's usually help them however she could. Her eyes darted to Luke and briefly met his. José and Jack work together in SIP as an editor and a photographer for book covers, and Hannah and Claire work together in marketing. The four of them all knew Luke and Anastasia. The two were mutual friends of the four, and Jose was the ex of Anastasia from high school, Jack was the ex of Kate. Luke knew it first hand that the two guys wouldn't be completely irresponsible to the point that they were bastards and assholes but they weren't exactly responsible or gentlemanly either. In general, they weren't totally trusted by Anastasia and Luke.

"There's a project due next week, and I can't find the suitable model."

"You want me to model." Anastasia clarified, it wasn't the first time that she was asked to model for his book covers, and if she had time to spare, was willing to do it for the money and in the mood, she'd accept the request.

"It's a romance novel."

"Oh, so do you have a male model?" She asked, he was known for his procrastination just like Jack for his excessive alcohol consumption. The two girls at SIP had been chastising them ever since they started working together, but they never bothered to change.

"No, we couldn't find one that fits the description." He complained, as if he wasn't trying to rush it last minute.

"Well, it's a romance novel, I'm sure finding models aren't going to be hard. Since you're not going to show their faces and you will be heavily editing those photos, just find a pole dancer or stripper or something, they've got the body. You just need a steamy kiss between two good looking people. I know the deal."

"Ana, please, you've modeled before, so it'll make the process so much faster. It'll be the same, I take the copy of what I want and you get the negatives. I'll choose on the spot just like any other time." He begged.

"Am I your last resort?" She said smugly I to the phone.

"Yes," he sighed defeatedly. "I know you know a lot of people, so I thought it'd be awesome if you could bring someone with you."

"I'll see. When do you need an answer from me?"

"Like right now. Ana, please, just come with Luke." Anastasia wizened her eyes at the suggestion. "I'll call you back." She said and hung up in a rush.

"What does he want now?"

"That procrastinating fucker wants me to be his model."

"Again?"

"Apparently."

"Is it because of Grey?"

"Partially. But, Pig, he's doing a romance novel this time, and you heard me talk about it." He nodded recalling her words to the moron on the other side of the phone. "Do you know what he suggested?"

"That you use me as the male model."

"Yeah, fucker's out of his mind."

"I'll say." He snorted.

"Who's said fucker?" Jason joined the conversation out of nowhere, and Anastasia looked at him silently asking him where her boyfriend was through her eyes. "He's still in the guest room. He's on the phone, with Ros I think."

Anastasia left Luke with Jason and went in search of her mercurial boyfriend. She could hear pacing from the room but no talking.

"John, I told you that I understand all the reasoning, but I just can't make that decision. I just can't accept that plan. I know it's for the best and it is a good plan, but I just can't let go." She lingered at the door, debating whether to go in or not. He was obviously not on the phone with Ros, and from the sound of it, she could only guess that it was his therapist; the shrink.

She stood by the door listening to some more, but she knew she'd get caught eavesdropping because she believed that he could feel her presence just like she could feel his whenever they were close to one another.

"Stop eavesdropping, Anastasia, just get in." He called out in the direction of the closed door. The next minute he was talking to his shrink. She didn't listen to what he was talking about after she went in, because she wasn't interested in the personal problems that he was dealing with. If he wanted her to know, then he'd tell her upfront and not through her eavesdropping on the conversation he was having with his psychologist.

She laid down on the bed and placed her head in his lap, using the brief opportunity of him sitting down to stop him from pacing again. He peered down at her in question but she didn't meet his eyes—her eyes were staring at the ceiling lost in thought.

Truth to be told, her friendship with Luke had taken a hit after the massive cluster fuck that was the proposal and the sex. She knew they had perhaps hurt some people but the only person they cared about was Hannah, so when she said she could understand and she was fine with it, they didn't think too much about what other people thought. She wanted to distance herself from him. As much as she wasn't a close friend of Hannah's, only knowing her through Luke, she still felt like she had betrayed her trust, even though she and Luke were actually using one another to get over their own issues. She had even called Hannah to explain but Luke already did beforehand. Hannah's reaction was subdued when she realized that she wasn't any better by jumping into bed with Jack not long after their break up.

Hannah had encouraged Anastasia and Luke to reconcile, trusting them implicitly to not make anymore bad decisions. She had asked Anastasia to look out for him knowing that they would never develop any feelings for each other because they were simply not each other's type. Anastasia had agreed to rebuild her friendship with Luke and they've officially moved past everything at her birthday party in her junior year; precisely a year later.

When she was forced to confess to Christian about her history with Luke, she didn't know what to anticipate about Christian's reaction. She knew there was no immediate solution to save his job, and there was no way that he wouldn't fire Luke on the spot. So, she was somewhat glad that they were only with Jason when it happened, and she was able to give Luke a heads-up.

It was her fault to show him the music video because she couldn't stomach the thought of keeping something from him when he had so patiently asked. She wouldn't lie to him, so the only choice left for her was to embrace the consequences of his outburst and reaction when it came.

With all her complicated past, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, not because she was too good to be true, but because her past was too fucked-up to be real. He could never understand how could two people remain friends after an encounter, especially a sexual one. Moreover, she was friends with those guys and was even close to some of them. He was a firm believer that men and women simply could not be _just_ friends. One of them had to be having ideas about the other. In this case, since Anastasia had made it clear that she wanted to be with him, and had made an effort to start their relationship with an open and clean slate, it must be Sawyer that wanted in her panties.

Though he wouldn't be worried about Luke and his girl if only he knew a little bit more about Luke's personal life.

Anastasia was only surprised that it had taken so long for him to act and fire Luke, she thought he would do it the moment he showed up to pick her up after she talked to Miles. Perhaps he had already came to terms with her past relationships and was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Though highly unlikely, Anastasia still liked to think that it was the video that triggered him, and acted as the last straw to break the camel's back.

She felt somewhat responsible that he had to deal with the overwhelming emotions, and had to call his therapist, but she also knew that it was his only route since he promised not to fuck her until the same time yesterday when they ended their contract.

He leaned back against the headboard and situated her head on to his abdomen. She closed her eyes when his fingers threatened through her chestnut hair, picking up a strip and examined the bleach end closely as if he had never seen it before. He was still talking to his shrink, and she was going to fall asleep on him if he continued to massage her scalp. She didn't have a lot of hair to begin with, so it would still be caressing if he only smoothed his hand down the surface.

She closed her eyes, reeling in the content feeling with his fingers dancing on her scalp. She was really about to drift into sleep when she heard a name. It wasn't because she was waiting for something to happen or wanting to listen to his session, but she didn't like that person.

When she told him that she couldn't care less who he was friends with in the car, she meant it, and as much as that woman bothered her, she promised to not interfere with their friendship since it wasn't her duty to tell him who to be friends with and who not to be.

"I've never contacted Elena, never initiated a conversation. She was too… gabby."

Anastasia couldn't help but giggle quietly at his rather informal word choice. It was the name that she used for Kate, because she would sit down and start talking, spilling every gossip and every mundane news to her. Though the annoying part of the word didn't apply to Kate since Anastasia only find her excessively talkative but not to the extent of being annoying. She could imagine a desperate woman trying to get Christian's attention by annoying the hell out of him, because she had experienced something similar, only that person wasn't a pimp and a pedophile, just a narcissist.

"She has called but I think I've blocked her number or something ages ago. No, she doesn't, because my mom has been cutting her out of every social event that she had a say in. John, I don't think she's a problem or a threat. Anastasia doesn't judge. She doesn't care who I'm friends with, her words not mine." Christian said into the phone, Anastasia tried to mute his voice so she could go back to sleep, but her brain just had to react when she heard her name being mentioned.

There was a long silence and she prayed to let herself fall asleep during the period of quietness. She needed to take advantage of those rare silences to make herself to doze off so she wouldn't hear any more of his conversations.

"Well, if the situation is reversed, I don't think I'd say I don't care. Hell, I don't even approve her friends now, let alone some old guy who took advantage of her."

"Ah, so the minor _is_ the victim. You just admitted that." John said in a lumbered tone. "It is understandable that some people wouldn't admit it out loud that they were the victim, but I think the mere encounters you had with Elena were enough to plant doubt in your head. I think the girls good for you, Christian. Keep her, if not for your feelings then for your mental wellbeing." He advised in all seriousness.

Christian was still not completely over the fact that Anastasia could remain friends with her former sexual partners. What he didn't know was that she had to look past a lot of issues to reach the point where she could stay friends with guys. There also needed to be bravery.

"You'll see her at the GEH function, if you're going to that party." He responded, the charlatan was eager to meet the girl that had made him question everything he had ever knew about life. "Oh, and perhaps the Coping Together Gala if you're not going this Friday. I'm sure we'd be forced to attend now that she's going to meet my family some time soon."

"I'll be at GEH. Why Friday this time though, did you change it for every year?"

"I'll be taking Ana away for the weekend for her birthday, so it has to be before I go."

"I'm definitely meeting her. Never thought I'd see the day that you are the one chasing after a girl and not the other way around."

Flynn chuckled which put a smile on Christian face, but he was more amused at the creature softly snoring on his stomach. "Goodbye, John. Whatever you say, suit yourself." He said feigning annoyance and hanging up the phone after he bid him farewell.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	23. TWENTY-SECOND HOUR

**_TWENTY-SECOND HOUR_**

"We've never had a proper lunch," Anastasia observed with closed eyes. She was still not yet fully awake.

Christian humid a response in agreement. His call with his shrink didn't resolve any issue, though he was visibly calmer, he was still his grumpy old self, jealous about the whole situation with Luke and his girl, even though he had nothing to worry about if he just took a bit of his time to learn more about the entire thing.

"Are you hungry?" She asked sleepily, still not planning on moving an inch, even her lips barely moved when she said those words.

"Not really," he replied, staring at her still unable to make up his mind about the cluster-fuck that he found himself in.

"There's a sandwich, I hope your security didn't eat it." This was the longest sentence she had uttered in her sleepy form and she could already feel the energy draining from her as she finished speaking. She didn't know whether he had heard it or not because he didn't make a sound and she refused to open her eyes.

"You're staring." She mumbled lazily, feeling his eyes still on her.

"Yeah, can't help it." He shrugged grazing his knuckles against her cheek. "Baby, I need to get up, my ass is going to hurt."

She groaned at the notion of having to move but got up once he told her that his butt would hurt if she didn't. As lazy of a person as she was, she wouldn't want to inflict pain on another individual.

"Was I out that long?" She rolled off him and spread eagle on the bed, taking up as much space as she could, still refusing to open her eyes to fight off sleep.

"No, but you were snoring." He grinned, enjoying telling her the fact.

"I didn't know I snore," she scowled. "You liar." She could feel the smugness radiating off him, so she assumed that he was just playing with her.

"I can record it for you the next time." He jested, "wonder how I'm going to get any sleep at night with you snoring like a hog next to me."

"I'll make sure I snore right in your ear next time. Besides, who cares if you're getting any sleep or not, it certainly isn't my problem."

"You're not nice."

"You should know that by now, it's not like this is your first day knowing me." She shrugged lazily, her eye lids were still feeling droopy. "But, just so you know, since you're my loving boyfriend, I'll be sure to take pity on you the next time we sleep together." She announced, though in her mind she was making a mental note to let him fall asleep first before she started snoring, since she had no idea how loud she was.

"I wanted to talk to you about that music video we're going to make." He said, making sure he was being specific this time. He still needed time to get over the fact that she was still friends with her ex-partners in close proximity, but only without any romantic emotional attachment.

"Yeah?" She gave him her full attention as best as she could with closed eyes. She was still a little tentative around him because she could never really cut off her past and start her future clean, so she could only make her future become aware of her past.

"Do you have any ideas how we're going to do it?"

She pondered for a moment. "Wait, you're for real? We're making a not-so-PG-rated music video." Now she was wide awake with her eyes wide open and staring right into his gunmetal blue eyes, it was more gray than blue but she could see a hint of the color blue upon closer inspection.

"Yeah, thought it would be fun." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I thought you were joking."

"No, why would I joke about that?"

"Then who is going to film us? Film you getting down on me and me taking off my clothes."

"Haven't thought about that yet. We can just setup a camera there when we get to the make-out part in the motel."

"And you'll be getting ideas of making a sex tape."

"I won't say I don't like the idea. Fuck, it sounds like a brilliant idea! I'm certainly not vetoing it. A sex tape… damn that sounds hot."

"You've never make one before?" She asked sounding incredulous, thinking a guy with as much conquest as him would've probably thought of making a sex tape recording his kinkiness.

"You have?"

"No, but I thought you'd make it with your subs, or I don't know." She shrugged helplessly.

"Fuck no! I take pictures of them as insurance but I would never film something."

"Oh, so you also have pictures of me then. I was once your sub." He nodded grimly, suddenly remembering that. "Can I see them?"

"The insurance pictures?" He stared at her in disbelief. He never explicitly told his submissives that he would be taking pictures as his insurance policy, but he did note it in his contract that he would have blackmail materials to prevent them from breaking the NDA. Those pictures were of them in uncompromising positions, mostly bounded, but left enough face to still be identified of the identity.

"Yeah. The ones you have on me. Where are they?"

"In my safe."

"I want to see them."

"I'm destroying them along with your NDA."

"But you haven't, so I want to see them. Besides, aren't you concerned that I'd go running to the press about you the minute you shredded my NDA?"

"You wouldn't even be bothered about it, lazy ass." He snorted. He initially wanted to say that he trusted her, but after getting to know her a little better in the past twenty hours, he thought what he had said was more accurate.

"You sure know me well," she chuckled, "it's too much effort."

"Now, the video. How'd we even get to this topic?" He reminded her, pulling them back on track. "Jesus, Ana, you sure know how to derail me."

"Good for me, I guess."

"The video!" He stressed once more.

"Oh! Okay. Um, I was thinking that maybe we could film it in California? I can think of a few places there."

"With no one around?"

"You know that's impossible in both Seattle and in California to find a place where there's no one, right? We can get Sean, your brother and Kate to join us for the club scene and film it at the Mile High. The other parts, like the road trip. Shit! We should totally all go on a road trip!" She suddenly perked up at the idea. "It doesn't have to be long, but we can just drive down along the west coast." She suggested, bouncing on the bed. "And, we can film that music video along the way. I'm sure there're going to be places with no one that'd recognize either of us." She continued. The chances of the two of them being recognized wasn't exactly high but they were still somewhat famous nonetheless.

"A road trip?" He asked skeptically, not at all matching her enthusiasm.

Her face fell at his reaction. "Okay, so you're not interested. Cool. That's fine by me." She shrugged, coming to terms with it. "I can always go with my friends or by myself. No biggie." She reassured herself. "Do you want to go somewhere for lunch. You didn't eat your sandwich and I'm still hungry." She told him forgetting the subject of the music video altogether because she thought she had already had the best idea and had relayed it to him so it was going to be up to him now. She wasn't upset by the idea of going on a road trip without him, she was just a little disappointed by his reaction. Then again, she was used to people not understanding her ideas, it wouldn't stop her from doing what she thought was fun and enjoyable. She never cared about what other people thought of her, and she certainly wasn't going to start caring now.

 _Sometimes, ignorance is a bliss._

They got off the bed and made their way to the kitchen, Christian turned into her bedroom to use the bathroom and she walked straight to the kitchen where Luke and Jason were sitting at the table playing Blackjack. In between them were a plate of cookies. Anastasia couldn't help but laugh at their 'chips' piled next to them which were also cookies.

"You're busting, Pig." She patted his back as she walked past him, grabbing a cookie from Jason's pile on her way to the fridge looking for the sandwich she reserved for Christian.

"Ana!" Jason shot up from his seat but was too late to get the cookie back as it had already disappeared into her mouth. Luke sat at the opposite smirking smugly.

"Cut it, Pig." Anastasia rolled her eyes at his expression. "Did you eat that sandwich?" She then noticed the absence of the sandwich that she made for her boyfriend, the plate was now filled with cookies.

"He did," Luke didn't waste a single second to throw Jason under the bus. "I told him that it was for the Boss." He added, as if there wasn't enough salt on the wound.

"Well, I'm starving." Jason defended himself. "Besides, it's just a sandwich."

"Well, get me something else then, because I haven't eaten jack shit." Grey's voice boomed through the house. He hated how comfortable his security was with his girlfriend.

"One of you better start moving, because I don't think he's feeling like signing your pay check for the next month." Anastasia told them as if it was a secret, even though Christian could hear it just as well. Her hands went to pick up the deck of cards and started to play tricks with them absentmindedly forcing the two men to stop their game. "Now hurry, before the wolf comes out." She shooed them. When the two men stood up, tossing the cards on to the table, she took a seat at their vacated spot and put her legs up on the other side of the table, grabbing a cookie from the pile in front of her. "And now, I get the cookies!"

"B, José called again." Luke informed her just as Jason went to the corner to order takeout for them as lunch.

"What did he want?"

Luke gave her an incredulous look as if to say "you're seriously asking that, Bitch?"

"Fuck! What did you tell him?"

"I said that you'd call him back."

"Why can't you just say no?" She whined, stretching out her hand for the phone. Groaning when it started to ring again. "Hannah?" She answered with a surprised tone. Luke's ears visibly perked up at the mention of the girl's name. "That's not my problem is it? He wants to procrastinate. It's not my job to save him every single time that he fucked something up. If you can't find a decent model find a decent photographer who can get you shit on time, then."

"I'm not HR, Ana." She pleaded, "besides, this is probably Jack's last book."

"Why?"

"The doctors gave him two years top, but he was diagnosed like around two years ago. Didn't you know about that?"

"No, he never told me that. He's an alcoholic, that much I know about."

"Well, Luke told you about his diagnosis, and he's time's up."

"Okay, I'll be there for him when the time comes, but that has nothing to do with the photoshoot."

"Ana, can't you just do him one last favor?"

"It's for a romance novel, how hard is it to find a girl with a good body? José said it himself that he doesn't need to include the face."

"You and Luke can do it. Come on, Ana, just this once."

"I can't believe you're asking me this on behalf of that fucker, Hannah." Anastasia sighed, she wasn't about to give in but she knew if she left it in Luke's hand, there was no way that he'd say no to her.

"Ana, please. Everyone's nominated you."

"I'll bet my ass that Claire's the first one to say my name."

"Actually no, it's Jack."

"Oh even better then." She scoffed, "why can't he think of Kate then? Get Kate and her boyfriend to do it for you? I told you I'm done with that kind of shit with Pig."

"Luke didn't tell José that you'd say no this time."

"Of course he didn't, because he doesn't know that I don't want to do it this time. He might be willing if you ask him but I'm not doing it with him this time."

"Ana, I don't trust other women with him."

"Then go ask Kate, I'm sure Jack can plead his case to her."

"Ana, why do you have to be so hard this time?"

"Because my boyfriend will go apeshit if I do it."

"Then get your boyfriend to do it with you."

"No, do you even know who he is?"

"Yeah, I saw it on Instagram earlier. José just didn't have the balls to actually make this suggestion, though I'm sure he's considered it. He's brooding now, please, can you help?"

"It's not my problem that he's brooding, Hannah. He has to get his shit together, or how else can he get his dream job in Nat Geo? You can't take pity on him every time he doesn't get his shit done on time. I've done enough favors for him and I've taken enough pity on Jack's condition. I think I've done enough. You can call Luke to see if he's got any recommendations." Anastasia said in finality.

"You're not going to help this time?"

"No, and frankly, I don't care when this is due. Even if this is the last book from Jack. I did a romance cover once, and I abhorred that experience."

"If it's another genre, will you do it?"

"With Luke? No."

"Not with Luke then."

"Still no."

"Is it because of your boyfriend."

"Partly."

"Ana, you're changing too much for your boyfriend."

"I didn't become a con artist because I wanted to. I was one from middle school through high school and you all assumed that I'll still be one. I've modelled only because I need money."

"And now you've found your sugar daddy, you're quitting modeling altogether."

"Simply speaking, yes." Anastasia just wanted to get out of that conversation, she didn't want to hurt her friendship with Hannah through an issue that José caused. "Look, Hannah, I appreciated that you're willing to step out for your friend but I'm sorry I can't help this time. It's nothing personal, really. I'm just not in the mood this time. It's not you, it's José and I suggest you don't do shit on his behalf, because it'll only hurt you in the end. That fucker has zero EQ, trust me."

Hannah let out a chuckle, she completely understood and she didn't expect otherwise.

"It was worth a shot."

"Call Pig, he'll help." Anastasia advised softly. By doing this, she was also pushing him closer to her and she hoped this would be a starter for him to launch his plan in getting her back.

"You shouldn't take your anger out on her, B." Luke shook his head as if he was disappointed at her behavior.

"Sorry," she said simply, at least looking somewhat contrite. She didn't explain any further, seeing no need to justify herself to him.

"Why did you tell her to call me?"

"Thought you'd help. You always go out of your way to help her and make her happy." She shrugged as if it was logical.

"That was when we were dating."

"Didn't you want her back?" She looked confused, "I thought that's what you want, so why don't you just do her a favor? I thought you want me to get her to talk to you more. First of all, I'm not her friend, I'm your friend, and I'll help you get her back if that's what you want. Secondly, put some effort in it would you? She's in a dire situation because of her incompetent teammates, so I thought you could scoop in and save her. She might feel grateful for you after I downright rejected her. You can take it from there. It's a start at least." She said, frowning at him.

"I'll think about it when she calls me."

"Oh, don't think she wouldn't call you. She knows we can both get her the people she wants in no time, yet she didn't ask me to find it for her after I told her to call you. It's never going to be fair in a relationship, if you love that girl, you'll have to be the first one to fight for your relationship even if it isn't you that caused all the trouble."

Christian sat there shuffling the cards in all kinds of fancy ways just like Anastasia earlier, but his mind wasn't at all on the card at hands, he was concentrating on the conversation that Luke and his girl was having. If he was still the inexperienced CEO in life prior to spending all those twenty hours with Anastasia, he would've yelled at Luke and punished Anastasia. For what reason, he couldn't determine, but he knew he would be feeling so angry and would've acted on that anger. Now, he had learned that lashing out on his anger against Anastasia Steele ain't gonna achieve the goal that he wanted.

Perhaps the one thing that he had learned from her was that, when it came to her:  
 _Patience is a fucking virtue._

"As much as your relationship advice sounds pro, I'm not buying it, B. Not from you." Luke said after a beat. She gave him an offended look but shrugged, not giving a shit about what he thought. "If she calls, I'll find her someone, but she's not."

"Wanna bet?" Anastasia challenged. She wasn't going to argue with him about the advice that she had given. Frankly, she didn't have much experience with relationships herself, so she wasn't exactly in the position to give advice, but she did warn him years ago that he shouldn't be putting so much focus on his work and he didn't.

"Sure," he shrugged, convinced that Hannah wouldn't call him unless she was in actual life-threatening danger. One of the reasons that she insisted on breaking up with him was because of he couldn't set his priority straight.

"Okay, Christian's going to be the judge." Anastasia replied, not backing down. Christian looked up from the cards when he was cued. She knew he was listening all this time and she was really surprised that he had stayed quiet. "Twenty bucks?"

"You bet everything with twenty bucks." Luke protested.

"Fine, you name it. It doesn't have to be money." She said. It was true that she would always start with twenty bucks with whatever gamble or bet that she had going on. She would always bet on the sport game that was live with Sean, Luke or Elliot, since none of her girl-friends were into betting.

"We're betting on your vape."

"That's a moot bet, Pig." She rolled her eyes, leaning over to reach for the counter, she pulled out one and handed to him. "Here," she offered, "I forgot the flavor but it's new."

Luke stared at it speechless. "How many vape do you have?"

"Not many, but it's necessary to have some in storage because it's a good gift." She shrugged, it was needed for social occasions. What she didn't say was that this was the one that Elliot bought in the heat of a moment only to realize that he didn't want it so gave it to her. "Come on, what are you betting on? You're wasting time and she's going to call very soon."

"She's not. Okay, I'm betting on your skateboard."

"Which one?"

"Your favorite one."

"Sean currently has it."

"It doesn't fucking matter."

"Fine," Anastasia agreed. Appearing to be calm and collected but she was actually sweating bullets at the moment because if Hannah didn't call, then she would be losing something she loved so much. "I thought you're going to bet on my gun for a second."

"I can't have your gun. I was going to bet on your knife collection but I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"Well, it's not like you'll know what to do with a skateboard."

"Touché. You did make a good point there." He mused out loud. "Then I'm betting on your roadster." He said smugly. She scowled at him for knowing too much about her.

"It hasn't even arrived yet. I preordered it. Besides, it's going to be in Los Angeles."

"I don't care. I'll be going to California on a regular basis anyway." She narrowed her eyes at what he was implying, she didn't even dare glance at her boyfriend knowing that this conversation was scaring the shit out of him and he was probably paling next to them. "Hannah is a regular visitor." He elaborated.

"Fuck you," she cursed.

"So, your Roadster?"

"Fine," she begrudgingly agreed to the condition. "If she calls, you're buying me that fucking Roadster." She challenged him seeing that he was so confident.

"How much is the Roadster?"

"Not much, two-hundred thousand."

"Bitch, do you have any idea how much money I have?"

"Very little compared to Christian's." She deadpanned.

"Yeah, how the fuck can I afford that?"

"You don't have to pay it at once." She offered, "but why does it matter? Since you're so confident that Hannah isn't going to call you, I'm paying for that car. If Hannah calls you, then you're paying for me since I've already preordered."

"You know what? Fuck it!"

"Are you in or not? Don't be a fucking pussy, Pig."

"I'm in."

"Christian," the moment Luke said the two words, Anastasia turned to her boyfriend, "you heard him right? He's going to buy me the car." She reiterated her belief. Christian looked dumbfounded by the two, there was no way he could ever understand the dynamics of her friendship with anyone, so he might as well just sit back and be an audience. He could now see what kind of person she was and knew that if he could win her trust and love completely, he would have nothing to worry about.

"You're still fired, by the way." He pointed a finger at Luke after nodding at Anastasia in acknowledgement of the bet. He had no idea what they were discussing about and from the complexity of it, he didn't want to know.

"I'm fully aware of it." Luke replied with both of his arms raised.

"Someone's phone's ringing," Anastasia said in a singing voice.

"Yeah, it's mine." Jason's voice came from the doorway. Anastasia's crestfallen expression became the next laughing stock for Luke as he laughed his ass off.

"Yeah right, not happening, B."

"What did you order?" She leaned forward, peeking into the bags of takeout like bees swarming to the flowers. "It smells so nice," she moaned, "dibs on the chicken." She called out to no one in particular.

"It's not like you eat any other kind of meat." Luke rolled his eyes at her.

"Shut the fuck up."

"You _only_ eat chicken?" Christian stared at her. "Why?" After she nodded, he asked.

She shrugged, "don't know. I wanted to be a vegetarian, but everyone around me doesn't allow that, they forced me to choose at least one kind of meat to eat, so I chose chicken."

"Why can't you be a vegetarian?"

"I workout too much, so I need protein. It's not helping that I don't like meat." She continued to explain her case.

"I've never heard of someone who doesn't like to eat meat."

She shrugged again. "I don't mind eating meat. I'm not like hellbent on banning meat from my diet, but I'd avoid it if I can. Hence, my decision to become a vegetarian, but Luke apparently got everyone to join him in forcing me to eat meat."

"Yeah, because you need it given your speed of metabolism." He argued, defending his actions. The relationship between Christian and Luke was still very delicate, and she didn't know what it would become if she or Jason wasn't in the room. "I'm sure your boyfriend would do the same if he knows you longer."

"How are you going to survive my dad's barbecue?" Christian mused. "We have that from time to time, and the only thing that's on the grill is meat. All kinds of meat."

"I'll survive," she replied distantly, her focus had already shifted completely on to the food that was being laid out on the table.

"Yes, this is what I want." She reached in and pulled out the bowl containing the chicken risotto. She would never be this relaxed and act like this if she was with people that she wasn't close with. Luke knew that, he had seen multiple sides of her, and he knew that if she was with the four from SIP, she would've refrained herself and behaved a little more like a lady. Since it was only her, Luke and Jason and her boyfriend who still needed to work on getting to know her, she wasn't at all worried about her demeanors.

Taking what she needed, she sat back down with the risotto in hand and dug in. Christian had never seen a woman acted the way she did. He realized that he had always lived in a stereotypical world where women were all petite and reserved about their true feelings and never dared to express themselves. In his mind, girls would only eat so much and would always be concerned about their weight and their body shape. It appeared that Anastasia couldn't care less what she was eating or the possible impact on her weight. She knew she was heavier than most girls with body similar to hers because she had denser muscles.

Jason and Luke looked a little uncomfortable sharing a table with their Boss, it obviously had never occurred before. To make them feel more comfortable, Anastasia stood up and moved to the seat next to Christian so the two guys could sit next to each other.

Christian didn't find it helping that his girlfriend was friendly to practically everyone, notwithstanding that she was pretending most of the time. Still, the fact that she had befriended Gail, impressed Jason and was Luke's good buddy bothered him, because he had never considered his staff as something more than his employee. He had never considered this scenario before, but if Jason had really gotten injured by protecting him, he would probably be devastated. It was probably the first time that he had seen his staff relaxed and acting like themselves before him.

As they eat, Anastasia noticed how awkward the situation was when silence fell upon them, so she tried to think of something that they could talk about over lunch that would include the four of them, but she couldn't. Well, there was one topic, but it wouldn't be a good discussion over lunch. It was about her security. She knew Christian was still hesitant about what Jason and Luke had proposed so she knew better than to push him about it.

"Baby," she suddenly remembered something that Sean had mentioned to her. Luke hid a smirk behind his spoon and shared a look with Jason when they heard the name that she used to call Christian. She pretended to ignore the two of them when they knew that she had caught them. "Sean said there's dance party at your club tonight."

"Really? I don't know." Christian looked genuinely surprised by the news, he was obviously unknowledgeable.

She nodded, "yeah, and I'll be there." She told him, "you wanna come?" She asked since there really wasn't anything else she could talk about that wouldn't upset people around the table.

"Sure," he replied. He would usually ask about the specific details but since he was determined to spend every waking hour with her, he might as well just go along with whatever she had planned. Anastasia didn't even know that he meant it when he said he was going to spend the week with her before she leave for Berkeley, she was still planning for her own rest of the week.

"You'd go? Damn, Elf is going to have a field day." She commented.

"What do you mean?"

"He said you never go to bars, and he's been asking you to go for years. Why don't you go to your own bar?"

"What's the point?"

"Just to spend some time with your brother." She pointed out dully as if it was supposed to be obvious to him. "What are you so busy about? You're always working according to him and you never show up at your family's gathering."

"The company doesn't run itself," he snarked wryly.

"No, it doesn't, but why are you the only one working through the weekends then?" He opened his mouth about to answer when she interjected. "Actually, I know why, because you've got nothing better to do." She raised an eyebrow at him challenging him to disagree.

"Actually I do."

She snorted, knowing what he was referring to. His usual weekend routine was to fuck a submissive in his playroom from dusk till dawn. He'd rather fuck away the problems than face them.

"Why don't you like to be with your family?"

He glared at her for asking such a personal question in front of his staff, and she silently berated herself for doing so. She knew he wasn't comfortable around them as she was, and he was more private than her.

"Are you going this week?"

"It's the GEH party."

"Oh, right." She remembered, "you moved to Friday." She confirmed with him. "They're going to be there?" He nodded.

"It's not going to be like those frat parties you go to though, so behave." He warned her somewhat playfully but she could detect the undercurrent.

"Yes, Boss." She rolled her eyes at his tone. "What else should I be made aware of?"

"You should bring a date."

"That's easy."

"Why, do you already have one?"

"What's so hard about finding a date? Do you know how many friends I have?"

"I thought you'll tell me that you've already got a date." He chuckled, breaking out of character.

"That could also be the case," Anastasia said, she wasn't sure if he was for real or he was just joking. "What kind of _party_ is this?" She asked finally, because up until now, she realized that she actually knew nothing about this supposed party that she was supposed to attend to celebrate GEH's however many year anniversary.

"It's GEH's eighth-year anniversary."

"Eight? Already?"

"I'm twenty-seven, and I started it when I was nineteen, for someone who's math is so good, how did you not figure out?"

"I didn't have all the variables to start with. I didn't know about the history of your company. Moreover," she emphasized with a pause, "I actually didn't know how old you are, when's your birthday and when did you start your company. So, the two variables that I need to do the calculations are absent, how am I supposed to calculate?"

"Good point, smart-ass." He gave her a lopsided grin after her arrogant speech. "Well, I'm telling you now. I'm twenty-seven and I started it when I was nineteen. So, there you go. Eight years."

"And, you're a billionaire." She added, "as much as I'm not a gold digger, I still care about money and wealth. Simply speaking, I like them because they open doors for you."

"That's very true."

"So, yes, I'd never forget the fact that my boyfriend is a rich-ass."

"You'll get spoiled."

"Oh god no, that's the last thing I want. You should be investing them in useful stuff."

"Yeah, I am."

"Buying stuff for me isn't an investment, Grey. I'm sure you took economics."

"I get you, so it's a perfect investment."

Anastasia rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. "I think you and Trump are the same kind of people."

"We're both businessmen."

"Which is exactly why he shouldn't go into politics and be the fucking President and ruin the country."

"He's trying to bring the economy up."

"At what expense though."

"He is doing what he can to get what he wants."

"Which is exactly why he should stay in business. Politicians aren't so blunt and straightforward like businessman."

"I won't even dream about doing anything associated with politics."

"That's a relief. By the way," her tone changed from the flat one to a curious one. "Who would you give your company to if say, you've decided to campaign for Presidency."

"Before meeting you, I'd say probably to Elliot but with Ros as the one with the actual power."

"So you want it to stay in the family." She ignored the very first part of that, not wanting to think too much into it.

"Well, that's no longer the case." He continued, "I'd happily sign them over to you now."

"You're just saying this, Grey." She shook her head, knowing that it was possible for him to say things that he didn't mean because of the new overwhelming feelings that he had for her, and that would make him do just about anything for her to stay.

"I mean it. I see a lot of potential in you."

"Well, let me tell you something." She said seriously, "you're biased."

"Ask anyone in this room."

"There is only four people in total."

"They'd agree with me wholeheartedly."

"I'm not sure what T will say." She countered because Jason was the only one that didn't know her well compared to Luke and Christian.

"He's already impressed by you and he's not easily impressed."

"That, I know, but that doesn't mean that I have potential in business."

"You're a fast learner and that's all it matters. Plus, it's only a bonus that you're so good at statistics."

"Yeah, I'm _only_ good at stats."

"Which just shows that you have a very logical thinking."

"But, I'm bad at negotiating and bargaining."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What, have you seen me?"

"Weren't you just bargaining with Sawyer earlier about whatever stupid bet you two were entering? And I have to be the judge of that stupid thing?"

"That's hardly bargaining."

"You forgot the time we negotiated the contract."

"That's different." She quibbled but said no more when she saw the expression on his face. "Fine, but that's just once."

"Stop finding excuses." He chastised, "okay, look. Andrea's going to go on her honeymoon next spring, and you'll be her temporary replacement, I'll take you everywhere with me and we'll see how long you can keep that pretty mouth of yours shut." He suggested with a smirk, knowing that he'd got her.

"You're seriously going to use me as your secretary."

"I don't see any problems with that."

"You're not going to get any work done."

"Why?"

"Because I'll be asking you questions about everything."

"You're not stupid, Anastasia."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "I'll try. It was just an imaginary scenario, Christian." She kicked him under the table for getting her so worked up. "I'd never support you if you decide to enter politics."

"I'd never do that." He assured her. The thought of her working for him was still unsettling to her, but he was so confident in her that she thought they were probably expecting a lot from her.

"I want to try your Mac and Cheese." She declared, pulling his box toward her and dipped her fork in without even waiting for his response.

"I never said you can have it," he chuckled at her boldness.

"Too late," she panted since the food was too hot in her mouth.

"Is she always like that?" Christian had no other resolve but to look at Luke for guidance.

He nodded, "only with people she's close to." When Christian didn't seem to understand, he elaborated. "So, it's just me, Sean and Kate, and maybe Elliot but I don't think she's had a meal with him."

Anastasia shook her head vigorously at the side, whimpering trying to get their attention and correct his assumption but she still had a mouthful of hot Mac 'n' cheese that she couldn't swallow.

"You have?" Luke had caught the message that she tried to send. She nodded affirmative. "When?"

"Takeout," she managed to choke out as she rolled the food in her mouth trying to get it to cool a little more.

"It's not at all hot," Christian put another spoonful in his mouth.

"I can't stand heat," she tried to say but her words were muffled by the food, so she looked to Luke, asking for him to translate. He did with an eye roll in annoyance.

"You had takeout with them?"

She nodded, raising a hand indicating for him to wait. She was already attempting to chew it so she only hoped that she wouldn't find it too hot for her to bear on the inside. Thankfully it wasn't, so she was able to quickly swallow it.

"Ah, fuck." She let out a breath. "The time I went to his house to play his X-box. We ordered takeout. But, no, I wasn't like that with him that time."

"How is Kate by the way?" Luke continued to speak. He was Anastasia's friends, and only met Kate a handful of times like he and Sean. They weren't friends but they have a mutual friend which was Anastasia.

"Don't know. I just hope she hasn't murdered Elliot in his sleep yet." She chuckled.

"What happened?" Christian asked, he never liked the girl, he was only impressed by her professionalism as a journalist but he didn't know her as a person.

"I somehow convinced Elf to pull a prank on Kate a few days ago."

"Did you succeed?" Luke leaned forward with excitement, waiting to hear a story.

"I think so. He carried it out, I only planned it for him." She shrugged suggesting that she didn't know much about it so there wouldn't be anything to share. "I don't know, I'm sure Elf would've sold me out by now, but since Kate's used to my antics, she'll go after her boyfriend."

"Will you ever pull a prank on me?" Christian asked, somewhat afraid of the notion of being pranked.

"Depends," she shrugged. She hadn't even thought about it, "I don't know. Probably not. You're too stiff and you'd have my ass if I ever pulled a prank on you."

"I'll have your ass anyways."

"Jesus Grey, talk about discrete." She shook her head at the ridiculous grin on his face, "you know what? I don't know and I don't care. Can't say I'll never prank you, but I think the chance of ever pulling a joke on you is thin."

"Yeah, because you love me."

"Whatever makes you happy." She grumbled.

"I have your word then."

"I never said I'm not going to prank you."

"I'll be sure to stop you from planting that idea in my brother's head."

"Oh, now we're talking." A devious smile surfaced, and he knew that he had just given her ideas to inform her partner in crime.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	24. TWENTY-THIRD HOUR

**_TWENTY-THIRD HOUR_**

"This _has_ to be Hannah," Anastasia proclaimed when she heard the song that was set explicit for Hannah. She had heard it a thousand times.

"How do you know that I didn't change her ringing tone?" Luke challenged lamely.

"Don't act like you'll ever use _A Thousand Years_ for any other contacts of yours. No one else deserves that cheesy, sickly sweet romantic song."

"It's not my fault that she loves Twilight."

"No, but it's your fault to not answer her call because I'm sure it's very unlike you to pickup after first ring."

"I don't always pickup on the first ring."

"Just fucking answer it!" She snapped. "Oh, and hallelujah! I don't have to pay for my new car!"

Luke turned around with the phone next to his ear and flipped her the bird before disappearing down the hall to find a private place for that phone call. Anastasia paid him no attention. She twisted in her seat and leaned back so she was using Christian as the backrest. She had long finished her risotto but Christian still had a little bit left.

"I told you that thing's too hot, see you haven't finish it."

"I was preoccupied," he defended himself.

"With what?"

"With you," he nudged her to emphasize his point. "You know, for a person who claimed to hate being under the spotlight, you sure know how to attract attention. That's not to say you attract a hell lot at once, too."

Rolling her eyes, she didn't get a chance to come up with a witty comeback when another phone rang. Anastasia groaned at how busy these people were, she liked her life where everyone knew better than to bother her because she wasn't going to answer. This time it was Jason's. He stood up from the stool shooting her a sheepish look before answering.

"Don't tell me your phone is going to be the next one that rings." She said to her boyfriend, it was just the two of them now. She wasn't expecting a response and he wasn't planning on replying since he was too busy finishing up his last bit of Mac and Cheese.

"Sir," Jason's expression told Anastasia that it was something security related, so she stood up and started to collect the dirty dishes. She didn't do it because she thought she was obliged to clean up after the men but she hated leaving trash everywhere, and she knew she wasn't going to feel like tidying up later if she didn't do it now.

Taking the plastic bag that Jason brought the takeout in, she threw everything back in and tied a knot, leaving it on the kitchen table so she would remember to throw them out later when she leave with Christian.

"The paparazzis are still outside of Escala." He reported and Christian's mood plummeted.

"But we can't hide here forever," Christian thought. "Baby," he called getting Anastasia's attention. "Do you mind going through the crowd?"

"No," she answered, "as long as you don't mind being photographed with me." As an Instagram model she was more than used to her pictures being taken and splashed across the internet. She realized that she had worded it wrong when she saw the incredulous look on his face. "No, I mean I'm used to being pictured, so if you don't mind having a few photos taken and a couple of provocative questions thrown at you, then I'm totally down for it." She corrected herself.

"You're sure you're fine with their invasive tendencies?"

"I'm friends with a pap, I know what they're like. Relax, Christian, I don't get riled up that easily. I'm very good at being ignorant and neglectful when I want to." She reassured, she could see him going on overdrive at the moment worrying about how she was going to accept the invasion and ambush of the swarm of cameras and unfiltered questions.

"If you say so," he mumbled uncertainly.

"Are we leaving now?"

"Yeah, soon."

"Okay, let me go pack a bag."

"You have all you need at Escala."

Anastasia turned around and took a deep breath. "Christian, I probably never told you that before, because I was your sub and I was expected to accept the clothes and the expensive gifts that you bought me."

"But?"

"But, to be honest, I don't like most of the things you bought for me. I'm not trying to be an ungrateful bitch or anything, but I'd rather you return the stuff you've brought or donate them because I won't be wearing them." She said in one breath. He looked crestfallen but soon recovered though it didn't escape Anastasia's observant eyes, she didn't know if there was a better way to break the news to him.

"Okay, pick out the ones that you'll have and we'll donate the rest of them." He decided with a sigh. He had been so wrong at judging her character. He had been treating her like his previous subs when she was anything but a stereotypical lady.

"Thank you for understanding," Anastasia walked up to him and gave him a rewarding peck on the lips before turning back to her bedroom.

"What do you say, Boss?" Jason asked actually referring to the situation with Luke, but he knew he wasn't being clear enough, so he'd just let Christian interpret it however he wanted.

"Ana's fine with going through the paparazzi, so we'll go."

"So, you'll go from the front gate?"

"I think there's no way for you to drive through the thick crowd to the garage, so might as well just bite the bullet."

Jason nodded in agreement, he was still thinking of a way to approach the subject of Luke Sawyer's employment. He had talked to Luke and Luke had expressed his interest in going back to his original field of work, which was being the head of security at GEH. Jason somewhat had guessed that he had decided to decline the personal security position because he needed to focus on the girl, Hannah.

"She's in the bedroom," Jason informed Luke the minute he reappeared from the hallway only to find that Anastasia wasn't in the room.

He nodded appreciatively and walked to her room as if he was on a mission, which he probably was, but Christian didn't like the idea of him just roaming around his girlfriend's living place and acting all too familiar with her.

"B," he knocked on the opened door to get her attention.

"How did it go?" She asked with her head still deep in her closet trying to dug out the suitable cloth for her night out tonight. She pulled her head out when he didn't reply. "What?" She stared at him.

He shook his head trying to collect his thought as he walked further into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. She had returned to her rummaging.

"I said yes."

"To what?"

"To helping her with the shoot."

"Okay…"

"And, I said I'd ask someone to do it with me."

"Why can't you just find a couple to do it? I mean I can even name a few that we both know, and I'm sure you have more contacts."

"I don't know why I said it. She was crying on the phone and pleading me, so I guess I just broke."

She shrugged, finding it very common since he always had a soft spot for her. "Then, there you go. You've got yourself a modeling job."

"But I don't want to do it with just anyone."

"Then go find a model!" She told him as if it was the most obvious solution. "I'm not doing it, I've said it already. I've done enough last minute shoots."

"José's good though."

"But that doesn't excuse his procrastination. Yes, his work has quality, but he doesn't get it on time, what's the fucking use of that quality?"

"What I mean is, you won't get recognized."

"Getting recognized isn't the reason why I refused to help him this time," she stressed. "He has been turning to me as his last resort almost every single time because he always does his shit at the very last minute. So, what if I don't have time this time? My schedule doesn't revolve around him. As flexible as it is, I'm not going to say how high every time he says jump."

"I'm doing this for Hannah," he justified.

"I don't care who you're doing this for, besides it was obvious." She rolled her eyes. "Just go make some calls."

"Who'd be the best option?"

"Try that pole dancer." She said, leaning her forehead against the wooden cupboard trying to think of the name. "Um… go ask Sean for the name. It's the girl we keep seeing at the Mile High when we first started dancing there. She's got a killer body and she's nice. She's the only one that Sean and I want to be friends with." She described. "From what Sean and I know, she's not going to hit on you; think she's lesbian or something."

"What makes you think that?" He mumbled that question absentmindedly only because he wanted to keep her talking as he scrolled through his phone looking for Sean's number.

"She was low-key hitting on me and she tried to kiss me once when she was drunk. Thought that was pretty obvious."

"She might be bi."

"She never batted an eyelash at Sean, or at any male. Even Sean said she's probably gay. We've witness countless encounters of her and men, and she never seemed interested."

"Okay," he nodded, but he actually didn't listen to a word she said afterwards.

"Wait!" She shouted suddenly causing his head to jerk up, "I remembered. Her name's Gwen. At least that's what she goes by. I have her number, just go through my contact list." She ordered.

"You're a life-saver."

"Always am."

"Don't get cocky."

"Since when am I not?" She joked.

He rolled his eyes, stood up and left the room.

"By the way," Anastasia called out from her room following the direction that Luke just went down. "You better start saving up." She said and winked before resuming her packing.

She had no idea how Luke was going to start that conversation with Gwen but that wasn't her concern. Something in her told her that the paparazzi was presenting an opportunity of something to her but she couldn't think of what exactly.

Then her phone buzzed, and there was a mass inflow of texts and messages from her friends and acquaintances from all different kinds of social media apps. She snuck a look at the lit up screen, unlocked her phone just to see who was messaging her. Almost all of the people were telling her that she was making headline news. It was the gossip column, because the Instagram post of her and Christian in that cafe had made a hit in the media.

 _As expected._

She rolled her eyes and was ready to turn away, but a name had caught her attention. _Miles_. She picked up her phone and clicked in to his text.

 _Where's my exclusive, bitch?_

She knew this would piss him off because she didn't mention it to him that someone had already taken pictures of them, albeit without their permission.

She sighed and decided to give him a call.

"A, you fucking said no!" He yelled at her.

"I know I fucking did!" She yelled back, "have you failed to notice that the picture actually didn't have Christian's face? Or the fact that none of us were actually facing the camera? It was a shot from a group of teenagers who just wanted to take pictures. They asked but I said no to a picture with Grey."

"Yeah, and how's that gonna make me feel better?"

"Well, I was going to offer you a closeup, but with that pissy attitude of yours, I'll think twice about it." She bullshitted, knowing that she'd have to convince Christian first. Still, it worked.

"Wait, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know what you're thinking and quite frankly, I don't care what you're thinking."

"Ana, you minx," he laughed, knowing he'd have to accept being played because she was having the upper hand. "I'll be there. ETA?"

"I'll text you later. You'll need to know where to meet us." She said before hanging up without waiting for his reply.

"Christian!" She called, "I need to run something past you." She announced, tossing the final few items in to the bag. She wasn't worried about not getting everything, because she could always come back and get them, she just needed to get the stuff for tonight and possibly tomorrow morning. It wasn't like she lived very far from Escala.

"Okay," he answered, sitting down in front of her on the bed, next to her packed duffle bag.

"I told you about the pap that I'm friends with right?"

"He wants a picture of us in exchange for some stupid information."

"Yes," she nodded, brushing off the comment about that part of the deal. "So, since we're bound to have our pictures taken by the paparazzi when we walk from the car to Escala. I was thinking that we might as well just pose one picture for my friend. Since it's not like we'll be responding to any of the paps."

"Won't he get, I don't know, ostracized and bullied by the other paps if he gets an exclusive and others don't?"

"Who cares about his consequences," she waved it off. "He'll obviously keep it discrete and just act like he got lucky."

"So, you want to give him a closeup."

"If _you_ don't mind," she emphasized that he was the one making the ultimate decision.

"Where will this take place?"

"We will stop near Escala but not within the radar of the paparazzi around the building, and we'll pose for him on the street. It'll be super quick. He's professional." She stressed, wanting him to agree. "And, then we'll go to Escala and get hounded by the rude ones."

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No plan's bulletproof, baby. So, I think this one's probably the best in this situation."

"Okay, then we'll go with what you're saying."

"We can even get Luke to go back first just to divert their attention for a bit." She suggested, but she knew that Luke was still on Grey's shit-list.

"No, that guy is still unemployed until further notice." He said. "He's not needed for the rest of the week."

"Sweet," she clapped her hands together and bounded out of her door. "Pig!" She shouted, "go meet up with Gwen and get your girl. You're not needed for the rest of the week. Boss's order." She grinned at him which didn't make him feel at ease.

"She didn't answer her phone," he sulked.

"Who, Gwen?"

He nodded.

"Use my phone then. She doesn't usually answer calls from unknown numbers because people tend to give her booty calls or think she's some sort of high-end escort."

"She's not?"

"No, she's just an entertainer. Pole dancers actually have dignity okay? They're not selling their body, they're selling art. Besides, that's just her part-time job, something she does for fun. I'm only recommending her to you because she's got a body to die for."

He nodded and started toward her bedroom to grab her phone, only to halt at the door when he saw Grey sitting on the bed.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself.

Ignoring the silent contest passing between the two, Anastasia skidded into the room, snatched her phone and handed it to Luke after unlocking it for him.

"You made headline gossip," he taunted when he saw a glimpse of her unread messages.

"Shut it, Pig." She spat and kicked him out of her room. "Call Gwen and save your girl." She instructed. "You ready?" She asked.

"Who's Gwen?"

"A pole dancer from the Mile High, it's her part-time job. Sean and I see her most of them time, and we're friends. She's gay."

"Do you know her full name?"

"Who the fuck gives someone their full name at a club."

"Oh, so you don't. You could've just said you don't know."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll watch out for my language and attitude." She apologized, actually meaning it this time.

"Do you know that Ros's wife is also named Gwen?"

"I think she's mentioned it." Anastasia nodded, the memory from just several hours ago coming to mind. "Yes, but there're a lot of people called Gwen, some as a nickname and some as their official name. Fat chance of them being the same person."

"I don't know. I've never asked where they met, but Gwen has a killer body."

"So you've checked her out already. I see, Grey." She teased.

"I didn't do it intentionally, besides, she's blonde."

"So? Doesn't stop you from checking out a body right?"

"I don't go and ogle at taken women randomly."

"No, but a good looking one won't escape you either."

"Touché. You sound experienced. Have you been ogling at men?"

"I've been _admiring_ their body from afar, but no, I'm not attracted to it. I'm like a bodybuilder advocator, you know. Like I'm obsessed with muscles and shape."

"Well, I really couldn't be faulted for telling you Ros's wife has a fantastic body because the dress that she wore to that event was just… too fitting."

"Too fitting," Anastasia bursted out laughing, "can you come up with a better descriptive." She jested. "You're not giving me anything to imagine here."

"Okay, so I don't remember what she's wearing but I remember thinking, she probably is some kind of female entertainer before she met Ros. I dismissed that thought immediately because she's Ros's wife, well, then-girlfriend, but I did have that thought when I first saw her."

"What about her makeup or her eyes, does that make you think of an entertainer?"

"No," he pondered, recalling the faint memory. "If she really is an entertainer, she's professional and takes it as a job and not as something she did for fun."

"Sounds like the one I know."

"You'll get to meet her on Friday."

"Oh, cool. Do you remember what she looked like? Maybe I can show you a picture?"

"Just get Ros to send one."

"Oh yeah, right."

"She's coming over tonight to discuss the deal with Morton, so you can ask her then."

"Oh cool." Anastasia agreed, "I'm still trying to get over the fact that you actually checked some girl out." She laughed, taking the duffle bag and sauntered out of the room leaving a dumbfounded Grey behind.

...

"B, when you said it's him, who are you talking about?" Luke appeared out of nowhere, catching Anastasia when they were about to head down to the car, he was informed of the plan and he was going to drive the SUV back before getting into his own car to meet with Hannah.

"Huh?"

"Before you give your keys to T for the sweep, you said something like, fuck it's him! Who are you talking about?"

"Before I gave him the keys..." she pondered, "you know I have the shortest memory and attention span."

"I know, but you should remember this."

"I probably do," Anastasia now realized what he was referring to, but she didn't want to say it to alert Christian who was already very edgy about this whole Morton ordeal plus the paparazzi friend and the crowd awaiting their arrival. She wanted to tell him through her eyes that she'd tell him later, but she probably couldn't think of time that they could be in private. "Oh," she suddenly remembered, "I have to call my dad. Fuck! It's almost two now. Shit, I told him I'd call him once I got back home." She muttered the last part to herself, "well, I'll pretend that I'm not home yet."

"When are you calling him?"

"Like right after I get to Escala? Why?"

"I'm meeting with Hannah."

"Uh, oh, right. Um… when are you meeting her?"

"Like probably an hour or so later?"

"Then talk to my dad first." She decided, "speaking of which," she turned around remembering something before she walked out the door, she knew Luke knew how to lock up from the outside without a key. "My phone."

"She didn't seem willing," he sighed when he returned her phone to her.

Anastasia shrugged, "I didn't guarantee you that she'd do it, I'm just suggesting her because she's not going to want to flirt or anything."

"There are other harmless females out there." He retorted.

"Yeah, but one that could pass Hannah's inspection? Probably not that many left." She said, "I mean there was a time that even she was cold to me. Right after you told her about that music video, she gave me the cold-shoulder. I probably deserved it, but girl should've given me a heads-up or at least throw me a bone."

Luke shrugged at that new piece of information. It would be a hard choice to choose between Anastasia and Hannah, but he would be with Hannah on most cases because he thought they still stood a chance. Their break-up was rough and undisclosed, so none of them actually got any closure, which meant they would have to talk privately one way or another. As Anastasia saw it, sooner or later, one of them would cave and suggest that they get back together or at least start trying something.

"I'll see you there." He told her, closing the door behind her so he could talk to Hannah to arrange a meeting place.

"What was that about?" Christian began his interrogation the minute they turned their back against Luke. He didn't put too much thought into why he knew his way in her apartment knowing not to question too much about her friendship with him.

"Which part?"

"All of it."

"You know that I'll be calling my dad later, so that part's about Morton."

"What is it that you've discovered?"

"Oh, just another link to Morton."

"Someone you know?"

"Yeah," she nodded as if it was nothing, "I mean I know a hell lot of people, so chances are the people he used are the people that I know. He's going to do his research and I have a humongous social circle. It's bound to happen." She told him nonchalantly, trying to sooth him knowing that he'd be tensed knowing that people around her might be plotting something to harm her.

"Why aren't you worried?"

"I am, but I can't show it. The more I stress out about it the more vulnerable I'm going to appear to my enemies."

"Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer?"

"Correct."

"Then, what's with this Hannah girl?"

"Ah, okay, here goes another story." She chuckled humorlessly, knowing that he wouldn't be enjoying this story anymore than he did her others. "You ready for another bedtime story?"

"Is it going to be long?"

"You don't sound interested anyways, so why don't I just keep it short and simple for you." She decided as they got into the awaiting car. Anastasia had passed Jason a slip of paper with instructions to drop them off around the corner so they could meet up with someone. Jason didn't have to know about the entire plan because Anastasia didn't have time to inform him but asked him to trust her that what she had planned wouldn't pose any security threats. She had told him over and over again that it would take them up to five minutes at most.

"Yeah, just shorten it."

"She's Luke's ex, but they still have feelings for each other."

"Then why did they break up in the first place?"

"Ah, now you're fishing for stories, love."

He rolled his eyes at her. They had came to a stop. Miles said they needed to make this authentic, so he wouldn't get bullied by his colleagues. Which was why he insisted on taking it around the corner where there were less people at this hour but also not without people.

"Ready?" Anastasia could already spot his van and she saw him getting out of it, walking toward a post as if he was just taking pictures of the building and the scenery. "It'll be over before you know it, I promise. Just act like yourself." She squeezed his hand, patted his chest and opened the door to get out. She knew the more time she gave him to prepare himself, the more he was going to want to change her mind.

As their hands re-linked once he got out of the car. Jason closed the door and they sauntered off on to the sidewalk, mending in with the people. Anastasia noticed that most of them were on their phones and busy minding their own business to pay any attention to them, so she casually guided Christian and strolled past Miles with the camera raised. She knew the drills and knew that he would spot them the instant they appeared in his sight range. She could hear the clicking sound of the camera. When she reached the spot right in front of the camera, she stopped and pulled him into a lip-lock. It was brief but long enough for Miles to capture it on camera.

With that, she strolled around the lamp pole that Miles was leaning against and headed back to the SUV still with Christian's hand tightly tugged in hers, pulling him along. Once safely back into the car, she gave Jason a nod and they drove off as the two put their seatbelts on.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" She asked, genuinely seeking for feedback.

"Wait, so he got the picture? That's it?"

Anastasia nodded, "you didn't see him? We kissed right in front of the camera." She giggled at his expression. It was one of the handful times that she had rendered him speechless, though there would be more to come, she would still savor those moments.

"I thought you said we're going to pose for him."

"Yeah, and that'd make it so much more obvious. We don't want to attract any attention."

"And we didn't by getting out of a car and walking in a circle before getting back in?"

"No, because everyone's busy looking at their phone and we didn't disrupt the flow. If we stopped and posed, then yeah, we'd definitely attract unwanted attention because we'll be blocking a part of the road."

"So, what did he get?"

"I can get him to send it to you if that's what you want?" She suggested and he nodded, "remind me later to text him." She said. Then after a beat, she continued. "I think we did well." She grinned, "that's what I meant by 'act natural', because you aren't aware of it so you don't have that permanent scowl on your face. Also, what he got are some typical paparazzi shots. We weren't looking at the camera yet he was the only one who got a clear shot with a closeup. It was perfect for him."

"Yeah, wait until the media gets wind of this."

"Well, he is going to sell it to the press, and I'm sure he's going to be rich from this."

"I'll bet." He mumbled still somewhat miserable at the idea of seeing more paparazzi.

"I can't say the same for the ones here, though," she sighed when she saw the thick crowd that blocked the entire Escala entrance the sidewalk. "Well, fuck me." She unbuckled her seatbelts when the car came to a complete halt. There were already banging fists on the windows and people trying to open their door. She could see building security making their way around the car, trying to make way for them to get out.

Leaning forward to the passenger's seat, she reached for her duffle bag. "Ana, Taylor will bring it up for you."

"I know," she said as she rummaged through them. Ignoring his fidgetiness, she pulled out two pairs of Ray Bans. "From when I did the commercial for them. Stole this from my male model." She claimed, handing that one to Christian and putting the other pair over her eyes.

"Why?"

"To prevent from going blind with all the flashlights." She shrugged.

"You're a pro."

"Told ya I am more than innocent," she winked before letting the sunglasses fully cover her eyes. She was referring to the song she sung him, and it took him a while to get the reference but the chortle from him told her that he had got it, eventually.

He slid them on and started to unbuckle his seatbelts. His moves were slow and Anastasia was tempted to hurry him, so that they could get over the inevitable faster, but she also knew that this guy was a pap-virgin. He had never received so much attention before. Even when he made his first billion, he didn't get hounded as many paparazzi as he had here. Perhaps it was because he agreed to a press conference.

"For the last time, I hope." Anastasia extended her hand, "ready?" She offered him a smile. She looked so at ease, and with a cap on backwards, she was identical to those professional street dancers who usually were hip-hop geniuses. Nevertheless, he had to admit that she was also a very talented dancer.

"Yeah," he replied, not feeling nearly as comfortable or confident as the girl holding his hand. "I'll survive."

"You better," she squeezed his hand as she reached for the handle to open the door. "You know what to do. Just don't get riled up no matter the question. Promise me you won't react, baby." She had her hand on the door but before she pulled, she turned her attention back to him one last time.

"Promise," he sounded determined and so she nodded.

They stepped out of the car and immediately cameras went off, flashlights were seriously blinding. She could tell that the security around them were struggling to keep the cameras away from them and also struggling to open their eyes at the same time. She didn't even know if it was Grey's personal security or the ones from Escala, not that she'd give a damn.

"Mr Grey!"

"Mr Grey, this way!"

"Mr Grey is that your girlfriend?"

Even if they tried they couldn't hear much, because everyone was shouting and everyone was asking different questions. There was no way that they could hear them. For that, Anastasia was relieved, she knew how easy it was to get a rise out of Christian.

"Anastasia Steele, is it true that there's a painting of your private part?"

That was a question that she had hoped to avoid. Luckily, it was asked as the doors closed behind them. She had to tug at his hand and almost squeezing it using the force that could break his bones to remind him that he promised not to react.

"Christian," she hissed angrily, she could feel that he was tempted.

"Are you seriously allowing people to say shit like that to you?"

"Who cares what they say to me, it's not real. You know it and I know it, and that's enough. I don't need the whole world to know that I actually didn't have my vagina painted as a portrait." She snapped at him once the elevator door closed and he punched in the code. "I don't have to justify anything to the entire world, I only have to do it to the people that I care about."

"That's downright derogative."

"So what? Paps say provocative things just to get your attention. Out there, they almost got yours. I'm just so glad that he got that question through when we're already near the elevator. God knows I want to punch you in the face when you tensed. I just know that if I don't break your hand you'd be going after that guy."

"Yeah, because you don't deserve to be treated like that."

"I don't need everyone to treat me like I'm a jewel, only the people that I care about. Christian, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care what other people think. They can talk shit about me as long as _you_ don't."

"I would never talk shit about you."

"Then, that's settled. You can't control what comes out of other people's mouth, so don't even try. As long as those that I care about don't say hurtful shit to me, then there's nothing that can hurt me because I don't give a fuck."

"I wish I can have your mindset."

"You can always learn to have it. It'll take so much weight off your shoulder. You carry too much shit on your back, I'm serious."

"I'm carrying too much shit," he laughed.

…

"Holy fucking shit!" She exclaimed when the elevator door opened to Jason Taylor and Luke Sawyer standing on each side of the door to the elevator. "Jesus, where's the red carpet?" She jested at the security. To her, the scene was way too formal, she didn't need a welcome committee, though part of her understood that it was only protocol to make sure the Boss got home safe and sound.

"Ana," Christian warned her. He felt somewhat empowered as he stepped into the foyer and into his Ivory Tower. He was more comfortable and more at ease, knowing that everything was under his control.

Well, _almost_ everything. The girl on his arm was an exception.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	25. TWENTY-FOURTH HOUR

**_TWENTY-FOURTH HOUR_**

"I need to take you on Charlie Tango some time." He mused out loud, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire Seattle. She didn't even bother questioning what he was talking about, because she didn't bother knowing that he'd only bring it up again but her mind was also preoccupied with other things.

"And, I should call my father." She announced, attempting a posh British accent but failing miserably. "Join me?" She asked the man who was trailing behind her to his study.

"Yes, madam," he said in the perfect accent that she previously failed to imitate.

"Have you met the Royal family before?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"You can totally pull off being a Brit."

"I'm good with accents, I know that."

"Cocky."

"Not as much as you."

"Why are you good at it? Apart from talent."

"Well, I mean, I do travel a lot, so I talk to people from all over the place. God, you should hear some of their accents. Not only were they hard to understand, but they were awfully hard to keep a straight face to when you hear them."

"Like which one?"

"People think Indian accents are funny, but they just haven't heard people from England speaking. The dialects are the funniest, not the accent."

"Which one do you think is the funniest then?" She asked curiously while silently asking him for permission to use his iPad to set up the video with Ray. As long as her phone acted as a hotspot, their connection should be secure enough to not let Morton find out. She was certain that Christian's team of computer geeks would've broken it in a matter of minutes.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Humor me."

"I liked," he smoothed the pad of his finger over his hairless, clean-shaven and toned chin. "I liked the Geordie accent."

"Oh, from the north east of England?" She laughed and he nodded. "Yeah, I can never understand them. The last time I went there I met this two Newcastle brothers, and with a bunch of people from America around me I had a little trouble understanding them."

"Oh yeah, I nearly laughed out loud when they first started speaking. Ros had to kick me under the table and I think that was probably the only time she had to do that." He laughed along with her.

"Hey daddy," she greeted, not wasting a second or telling Christian what she was up to. The big screen on his wall soon displayed the face of her father. From his perspective he could see the entire room since the camera was situated near the ceiling.

"Where are you?"

"Escala. The penthouse suite."

"You know what I mean." He said with a huff.

"Uh, no, I don't. I answered your question." She grinned cheekily, standing up to open the door and shouted for Luke.

"You're Christian Grey." The man didn't waste a minute to acquaint himself with the man that made headline news with her daughter.

"I am. A pleasure to meet you, Mr Steele."

Ray responded with a gruff but with no words, his attention was obviously not on him. Minutes later Luke entered.

"Ray, hey." He greeted the old man the minute he saw him.

"You work for Grey?" Ray didn't beat around the bush.

"Yeah," Luke answered with ease, "well, I'm not sure if that's still the case."

"Oh because he learned about you and Annie's history." Ray laughed an actual belly laugh. Luke smiled and Anastasia rolled her eyes and glared at her father for the nickname. Both of them got ignored as Ray put his focus on Christian who scowled slightly but remained an impassive face. "I thought I've warned you about men like him."

"So? It's not like this is anything serious. Besides, even if we do get married, which I don't see it happening at the moment or anytime soon, there's still divorce right? There's always a way out, daddy."

"I don't think fighting a lawsuit with him is in your best interest." Ray warned, but Anastasia only shrugged. "Anyway, that's just me. You beware of everything yeah?" Anastasia nodded, that was what she liked to hear. "And you," Ray turned his sharp glare toward Christian, "you're the boyfriend. I just know that Annie wouldn't go for anyone less dominant." Anastasia almost giggled out loud when her father used the word, he couldn't be more on track. It only calmed her when she reminded herself that Ray wouldn't care if he was in the lifestyle. He knew it was consensual and he knew his daughter. "I hope you know what you're dealing with, Grey." Ray said sternly, "better watch yourself."

"Aw come on, cut him some slacks, daddy."

"The man barely said two words to me."

"Yeah, because I'm apparently his first girlfriend." She defended for Christian. "Besides, you don't meet every guy I date so naturally he doesn't meet every parents of his girlfriends."

"That's not the point, though is it? The point is that he's not meeting me as your boyfriend, so he better be warned about what he's getting himself into."

"We're not a cult, daddy. Just, drop it for now, yeah? It's not like we're serious or anything, we just got together."

"He clearly looks like he's got other ideas." Ray pointed out innocently, and Luke couldn't help but bust out laughing, earning a hit in the face with the paper ball that Anastasia made from the page she torn off from Christian's notepad.

"Shut the fuck up!" She added. "Let's just forget about the guy there for a moment okay? We're using his study and in his house right now, so let's just behave ourselves for the time being, yeah, daddy?"

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes and she grinned proudly at her victory. "On to business then, Stephen Morton."

"Yes, Luke has a theory, and I think he might be close." Anastasia reported, "also, Miles has something he wants to tell me. And you need to keep an eye on that wife of yours, as well as the men she's fucking. Especially bank accounts associated with her, I think that's important from what Miles has told me so far." She began to list out every piece of information she had received in the past day or so. She had to throw everything at him at once before she forgot. "And, look for Paul Clayton, he's got connection with Morton, according to Miles."

"Donavan?" Luke sounded skeptical.

"I know," she agreed with his suspicion, "but that's what Miles told me earlier on the phone when I said it's him."

Luke looked confused for a second but quickly understood, the only person who's only expression was the sheer confusion written all over his face was Christian. As much as he wanted to, he knew better than to interrupt, because they obviously knew so much more than him. Not that he liked the fact that everyone knew more than he did.

"Oh and one more thing," Anastasia raised a hand to stop her father from talking. "He's in business with Morton. Apparently the fucker's desperate to sell or something." Ray nodded taking notes. "And, I think up until recently, he's found out that I'm with Christian, and he suddenly decided to pull out of the deal."

"How far along are you with the negotiation, son?" Ray asked directed at Christian.

"We should be signing everything and finalizing it next month, if it goes according to plan. Right now, we have agreed on a price and mostly every other major terms, there are a few small details that needs to be ironed out. However, like Ana said, he's trying to default the deal because he can't afford the fine. He doesn't like the price we agreed on to say the least. I'd say, he's desperate for money at the moment because that's his only income, and from what I know, his current savings won't last him very long."

"How the fuck do you know that?"

"I've checked into his transactions. It doesn't have the specific detail of what the money's for, but the amount is there. It obviously is a deficit not a surplus."

"How long do you think his company is going to survive before he files for bankruptcy?" Ray asked Christian, silently noting down to ask him for the transaction details to save him from looking to it himself.

"A few months top."

"So he's going to put whatever plans into action very soon." Luke concluded, earning murmurs of agreements from Anastasia and Raymond.

"What _is_ his plan?" Christian asked.

"Good question," Ray praises, "simply speaking, to abduct Anastasia and hold her for ransom. Basically get me to pay him the money he's lost over the charges that I put on him a few years back. Probably even a decade ago. The man can hold a grudge." He chuckled.

Christian frowned. "That's it? Then why does he need all those allies around Anastasia?"

"He's trying to get Annie to loosen up so he can easily abduct her. He thought it's easy to just get the people around her to his side so he can have information about Annie all the time."

"Yeah, wonder how's that working out for him," Anastasia snorted. "Daddy, listen to Luke's theory. It sounds legit." She suggested, and Luke was cued into telling them about his theory of someone having a USB stick.

"What do you think it's in the USB?" Luke asked once he accounted his theory in full.

"The missing files," Ray replied simply.

"What _are_ the missing files?" Anastasia asked hating that his dad answer questions like her, never giving the answer the other desired.

"I don't know for sure, it might be information of you, or the stuff he's using for blackmail."

"To blackmail whom? Me? Why hasn't he started it already then?"

"I don't think he's going to be stupid enough to blackmail you. Besides, what's there to blackmail?" Ray chortled.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it means. There's nothing on you that's worth blackmailing. The most he can do is to put your nude pics out on the internet and shame your boyfriend, but that kind of scandal will have backlash on him, too." Ray explained with a shrug as if it was supposed to be painfully obvious. "That's one of the reasons why I never stopped Jess from posting pictures of you."

"Oh, so you do know," Anastasia gave her father a pointed look that resembled a glare. "Good on you because I don't give a shit either," she said. "Now, what's the significance of the bunch of missing files? Better yet, how did _you_ know that it's missing?"

"The missing file was only a suspicion until Luke told me that your boyfriend…"

"…who has a name," she deadpanned.

"Grey," he gave her a subtle glare for interrupting him, "is in business with the guy." Anastasia nodded, "and, he must've chosen Grey in particular for personal reasons. From what I've known about Morton's company," he casted an appreciative glance in Luke's direction, "Grey obviously wouldn't be the highest bidder among the pool who sought to buy his pathetic excuse of a firm. So, he chose Grey obviously for personal reasons. Then, this is where that missing file comes in. It's no surprise that Grey has a truck load of enemies and people who envy him, which does not help my case at all. I have a list of people who Grey has offended over the years, and I think there's probably only one that you don't know."

"I'm sure I don't know _that_ many people. Tell me the ones I know."

"And I don't have _that_ many enemies." Christian grumbled under his breath.

"First, there's Jack Hyde." He said, reading off his notes.

"I thought he's got something against _me_ ," Anastasia mused out loud.

"He does," the reply surprised her but didn't at the same time. "You bullied him when we were in Detroit, and even left him our address, though you told him you're A. He came to our door once wanting to fight you only to see me opening the door. So, being the chicken that he is, he ran."

"I do not bully!" Anastasia defended automatically but she could actually recall the incident.

 _Unaware of the girl creeping up behind him, Jack continued to verbally abuse a stray who was already shivering from the coldness. Anastasia didn't like it when people mistreat an animal, so she snuck up to him wanting to teach him a lesson. Just when he was engrossed in his poor attempt at finding even more colorful words to yell at the dog, she snuck up from behind and gripped his shoulder._

 _The move shocked him and before he could think twice, he reacted to the touch. It wasn't like the other times where the touch was meant to be pat on the shoulder from other guys with similar temper, but it was too unpredictable and he was suddenly alerted. No one dared to bully him. Or, no one cared to be bothered with him._

 _Turning around to struck his attacker, Anastasia was quick enough to let go of him and duck just in time to avoid his hit. Then, instinctively, he turned to locate his attacker better and ready to strike her again. Only this time, he didn't even get the chance to retract his arm because Anastasia grabbed on to it, twisting it and kicked the back of his knee, making him fall to the ground. The move surprised him and made him panicked even more. However, he was defeated by the brunette in front of him once again and finally found himself been pinned on the ground with his attacker sitting on his waist, straddling him. Just when her fists were about to make contact with his chest or face, panic was evident in his eyes; she retreated and got off him. Offering him a hand to help him up, he glared at her before taking her offered hand reluctantly and hesitantly. When he dusted off the dirt on him, he saw that there was already a crowd forming around them to watch the quick show, some laughing at him._

 _"What the fuck?"_

 _"The name's A, and the address is…" she rattled off a random address, and with that, she whipped her head in the opposite direction and strutted away, leaving an awe-struck Hyde who was still trying to tame his anger that was bubbling inside him. He knew then and there that he needed to avenge for himself and the humiliation that he had endured._

 _"Who is this mysterious girl, and did she just used the tone from Sherlock?"_

 _"Oh, she is Sherlock Holmes, buddy." His friend replied still hugging his stomach, doubling over with laughter. The girls in the crowd weren't any better with Hyde's encounter. Hyde, who always thought he was in control of everything and at the highest power, his ego was shot to the ground in a matter of seconds by this girl with only a few ninja moves._

"You arrogant bastard," Luke laughed from the side after she admitted having done such thing, this was the one thing that she had a recollection of.

"Don't act like you're not," she bit back and motioned her dad to continue.

"Jack believes that Grey stole his future by acting all pitiful to get adopted by the Greys. Whereas, Grey only ended up with the Colliers because the adoption process would take a very long time to complete," Ray explained. Then he turned to Christian. "You don't, by any chance, remember any of that, do you?"

"No," Christian shook his head, negative, at the question. "I don't remember ever being in foster care, let alone remembering the family's name was Collier." He confessed.

"That's okay," Ray acknowledged and continued down the list. "Next up, Paul Clayton."

"Donavan," Anastasia and Luke said simultaneously.

"Yes, him," Ray nodded in agreement, recognizing the name that the boy liked to go by thinking it was cool and gang-like. "Apparently, Grey Enterprise Holdings, Incorporated has screwed over the hardware store owned by him a few years ago."

" _That_ , I remember." Christian spoke this time, volunteering information. "They rented a store owned by GEH but couldn't afford to pay the rent. We have negotiated and re-negotiated. In the contract that they signed, it was clearly stated that we have the rights to force closure and evict them if they aren't able to pay for six consecutive months. That was a really loose contract with a lot of loopholes, and as long as they paid during one of those months, they wouldn't be evicted. I do remember them trying to file a lawsuit against my company only to file for bankruptcy in the end."

"Another vengeful person," Anastasia sighed, she knew from Claire and Hannah that Donavan didn't have any family, so he stuck with Jack who was also an adult orphan.

"Poor guy," Luke muttered, "but I don't pity him, he should've been smarter with the payments."

"Was he the Donavan that challenged you for a rematch?" Ray asked out of the blue.

"Huh?" She stared, obviously caught off guard by the question that came out of nowhere.

"Fight club," he clarified.

"Oh, yeah," she nodded, "because newbies had to fight, that's the rule. And, I'm a girl, so he picked on me for his first fight." She elaborated, keeping the encounter short and simple.

"He should know that women in those places are stronger than men sometimes, because they're survivors." Ray shook his head in amusement.

"Well, it seemed like he hasn't learned his lessons," Anastasia replied. "We're getting off topic. Your list, daddy." She reminded the old man on the screen.

"Right," he nodded.

Together, they went through another few names that Anastasia recognized. She wasn't friends with all of them, but she knew them from mutual friends. She wasn't surprised to hear those names at all, because she knew that those people didn't know her all that well, they were all acquaintances and they would believe whatever bullshit that was fed to them.

"Now, this guy whom I don't think you'll know. He doesn't play in your circle." He said as they reached the last suspect on his list.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Isaac Fisher," he read from the page. Anastasia and Luke turned to each other to see if the other knew him, but both of them had a blank face on.

That was until they heard a sharp intake of breath from the third person in the room, their heads all whipped in his direction, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm not sure, but I remember Elena's sub is something along the lines of that name."

"Elena Lincoln," Anastasia played with the name, "check her out then."

"This guy is a few years younger than Grey," Ray added for no particular reason.

"What's he got against Christian?"

"I don't know, but there's evidence that shows that he has made threats against Grey before."

"What? I didn't know that."

"He didn't publicize it. He's got something in his diary or journal or whatever that he bitches about people in."

"He's got a book that bitches about people?" Anastasia laughed out loud. "That's cute," she tried to picture some petulant child with names of people on their shit-list, and putting notations next to them rating how bad of a person they were.

...

"Do you take anything seriously, B?" Luke groaned before leaving the study to meet his girl.

Anastasia sat there staring at the closed door, moments later, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I just thought of my high school prom."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"I was asked the exact same question."

"Huh?"

 _Just like any other high school prom, the host in Anastasia's school also wanted to vote for the various awards. So, everyone was given a pen and a piece of paper to fill out the form._

 _Anastasia had gone with Sean, Kate with her then-boyfriend, Jack. José simply didn't make an appearance because he had a photography thing going on that would impact the college's decision on whether they should have him an offer or not. Or maybe he showed up later but Anastasia just didn't see him._

 _"Who did you put down?" Sean asked as they both turned in their forms together._

 _"Katherine Kavanagh all the way," she smirked, and he returned it knowingly._

 _"I wrote Jack Hyde."_

 _"Fucker doesn't even look good," Anastasia whispered in a scandalous tone._

 _"No, and his girl is way out of his league." He whispered back, together they laughed their ass off awaiting for the reaction for the minion of the Queen Bee to read their answers._

 _"Do you two every take anything seriously?" The girl shrieked when they saw their gigantic scribbling that had one name covering the entire page and filling every single box no matter the question._

 _"Probably our wedding," they shared a look and shrugged unison before skipping away from the desk._

 _"Mission accomplished!" They grabbed a shot and downed it, cheering and with a high-five._

"No, not really," Anastasia decided for herself, answering his question officially, still chortling from the memory.

"I can't believe I'm dating a goofball," he rubbed his face after hearing the recount of one of her many high school prom pranks. In her defense, that wasn't even a prank, it was just her having some fun with her gay best friend.

"You can still change your mind," she reminded in a singing voice and a smirk knowing that he was already in too deep. Not that she'd want to leave anyway.

"I'll be fine, I think I'll survive. I grew up with one." He waved trying to reassure himself.

"Yeah, but I think it's going to be different from dating one," she argued in all seriousness, using all the logical senses that she could possibly muster at the instant.

"Are you trying to change my mind or plant doubt in my head or something?" He questioned her with suspicious eyes.

She shrugged. "No, but the choice is yours. So, suit yourself. Whatever makes you happy or helps you sleep at night."

…

 _"Christian," Elena purred as she followed Christian further into the club. He ventured around the stations and observed the scenes trying to block out the disgusting voice of the blonde. He hadn't downright reject her yet because he needed to think of a way to get her to sign an NDA for him to stop her from babbling her big fake mouth._

 _He turned his body halfway toward her, showing that he was listening but was more interested in the Dominant and his submissive in the act in front of him._

 _"Darling," she tried again, this time stepping closer to him. He shuddered and took a step away from her. "Dear, I can show you that." She offered, pointing her long nails at the couple in front of them, engrossed in their scene._

 _Christian wanted to snatch her fingernails in half, wondering just how could someone endure a bloody nail that long on their penis. He'd never move his cock near her ever again, let along her cunt. He'd cut off his dick first._

 _"How?" He asked, sparing a glance at her to see her eyes trained on him._

 _"Come this way, I have a private room reserved." She all but purred, Christian was silently wondering if this woman knew anything other than purring like a fucking cat. He thought even a cat could done a better job than her._

 _"I'm not doing anything with you, Elena." He had to make that clear. He hadn't completely reject the notion of her acting as his pimp, but he had to put his foot down at anything between them._

 _"Oh, I know. You've made that clear." She cooed._

Oh, so she can understand the human language. _He thought sarcastically to himself._ At least that's better than a cat. _He mentally laughed._

 _"I have a sub waiting for me. I'll show you how to be a Dom. I can train you."_

 _He didn't answer but followed her to the room she was talking about. The room was way more pleasant looking than the dungeon she first brought him to in her house in Bellevue. He couldn't understand what got into him when he agreed to let her fuck him, thank goodness it was only that once._

 _"Isaac," she commanded to the boy kneeling at the door of the room naked. "I have a guest here today, so you better behave yourself." She told him._

 _"Yes, Mistress," the guy replied obediently._

Christian didn't pay too much attention to the guy then because he was blindfolded and he looked about age because of his size. If he had just paid a little more attention on the pitch of his voice, he would notice that he was just going through the phase of puberty and his voice was just changing. He'd have realized that he was actually underage. But, no, he didn't, because he was too focused on getting what he wanted.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed. He had been deep in thought ever since the name was brought up, he didn't even notice that the call had ended and that Luke had stepped up to leave. He had no idea where the guy was going but apparently Anastasia knew, but he didn't pay too much mind to that either.

Anastasia didn't interrupt him after seeing his out-of-focused eyes. She thought better to leave him in his own mind for a while. She was now on her phone, texting to Miles asking for the negatives of the pictures he had taken of them on the street mere hours ago. He had agreed to give it to her when they meetup tonight. She confirmed the place and the time with him and their conversation ended there.

"Yeah?" She probed, thinking that he might've had a great break through or something.

"Isaac," he repeated the name like a mantra, "I knew I've heard of it somewhere. Isaac Fisher, he's the sub that Elena used to demonstrate BDSM to me," he revealed. "And, he's underage," he said, this time in a more determined tone. "He has to be," he said more to himself than to his girlfriend. He couldn't remember what he looked like or what his voice was like but what Ray had said about his age had clicked something in his brain. "Your dad said he's a few years younger than me, which means that he's definitely not eighteen when Elena used him. I know it because I was nineteen, twenty years old then." He confessed, looking up at her with distraught in his eyes.

"What does he possibly have against you?"

"My only guess is that, he's probably jealous or something."

"Why?"

"Because my family and myself are considered as the Seattle elite, we're like the prestigious family on the West Coast, so after Elena's been cut off by my mother and the elite gatherings in Seattle, she will obviously want to associate herself with me. Isaac, this kid, he has a hint of resemblance to me. I guess her keeping and finding that sub was just trying to fulfill her obsession."

"Jesus, the kind of friends you have."

"You're the one to talk," he countered. After hearing all the people that she knew that were against Christian, she really didn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to friends that they had.

"You're right. You have a point." She laughed, conceding in defeat. "Why are people all so closed-minded? All they can think of is revenge and jealousy."

"Where's Sawyer going?" He asked, suddenly remembering that he saw the guy leave without giving him a nod of acknowledgement.

"To save his girl," she replied, "I thought you've dismissed him for the entire week. Not to say you've already fired him." She reminded.

"I have," he started to argue only to realize that he'd have to contradict himself if he finished his thought.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She giggled at his state of speechlessness. "You fired him, said he's free for this entire week. I'd say he's a freed-man." She declared. "Do you want to hire him back?" She asked since he was having an internal debate with himself.

"He's definitely not going to do anything with _you_." He grumbled, still holding a grudge against him for having a history with Anastasia. "He's a good employee, that much is true."

"So the great Jason Taylor has shed some light on you."

"Shut the fuck up," he muttered. "He needs to learn to keep them in his pants and just… behave in his personal life."

"You can't possibly dictate your employee's personal life, Christian." She stared at him like he was crazy. "It's not like he's got a girl pregnant or something." She pointed out, it was a legit and valid point, but not one that Christian liked to hear. "There's nothing wrong with his personal life. What he did in his own time never affected his work ethics or his work in general, so what are you worried about? Heck, you even let the relationship between Gail and Jason slide."

"Because they're not the ones fucking you! Luke's fucked you before."

"Whoa," she was taken aback by the outburst. It was hard for him to stomach the thought of someone who had an intimate history with her was working so closely with her. She could understand that. "That was uncalled for." She murmured under her breath.

"Perhaps," he sat back, feeling a little apologetic about his outburst, "he should've told me when I assigned him to you."

"And what, get fired on the spot then and there? It's not like I was your girlfriend back then."

"It's not like I've had my previous submissives shadowed."

"Oh, wow, I'm so special." She said sardonically.

"He knows better than to hide this kind of information from me."

"He's not hiding shit from you!" She defended for her friend. "What he does in his private time is his business, not yours. You're just his employer and he's been doing his job. There's no conflict of interest when you assigned him to be my detail. We've ended that part of our friendship years ago."

"That didn't stop you two from being all cozy with one another."

"Christian, I know it's hard and it's unfair for me to just tell you to get over it, but," she paused, "you really need to get the fuck over it." She stressed. "Because I'm with you and he's trying to save his failed relationship with the girl he loves. We're friends."

"He's not going to be your CPO."

"No, of course not. He doesn't want to go to Berkeley with me because he needs to be close to Hannah. He'll meet up with me if he travels to California with Hannah but he won't seek me out and fly down just to visit me. Just so you know, Christian," she decided to help her friend a little, because she knew that Christian saw Luke as a star-employee. "He wants his old job back."

"At GEH?"

"Yes, he doesn't want to stay on your personal security team."

"I'll think about it." He said, but she knew that meant he was happy about the idea and he would agree to give him that position back. "But, he's off for the rest of the week. I don't want to see him, and I mean it."

"Oh, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to get a holiday that lasts for a week. You might see him but just know that Seattle's a small place, so you might run into each other. He will be doing his best to get out of your hair." She warned, knowing the tendency of her boyfriend to go after people he wasn't happy to see about and around.

He didn't say anything anymore.

"When's Ros coming over?"

"Soon."

"Great answer, very precise," she deadpanned.

"So, have I proven to you that it's possible?"

"What's possible?" She stared at him, confused as to why he had been shy all of a sudden.

"A normal relationship with me."

Anastasia couldn't help but laugh. "You know what?" She said, "I don't think twenty-four hours is enough for me to make a judgment. I might need longer."

He knew exactly what she meant, but he still played along. "What, I'm still on trial period?"

"For the rest of the week," she grinned cheekily, repeating the exact same words he used when he dismissed Luke after finding out about the extent of his relationship with Anastasia.

They both casted a glance at the clock on the wall of his study in unison. The time was  
 _3:22 pm_.

"Guess your trial period starts now, Grey." Anastasia smirked as their eyes met through the reflection of the clock.

* * *

An alternative way that this ends (I never got a chance to share this and I found it recently):

"Will you be mine?"

"Your what? You'll have to be a little more specific," she giggled, biting her lips.

"My lover."

"Hmm. Is that a legit label?"

"Are you looking for something in particular, Miss Steele?"

"Hell yes I am, Grey!"

"Okay, okay, keep your hair on." He chuckled.

"And now you're stealing my lines."

"Then you can use mine."

"You don't exactly have that many to begin with."

"Then you'll just have to be observant."

"Oh observant I will be."

"Hmm."

"The clock's ticking, Grey. Tsk tsk."

"Fine, let's get this over with."

"Uh no, Grey, if that's your attitude, then, bye! I'll be outta the door before you can even blink."

"I wasn't serious, I was joking."

"Are you going to be serious now?"

"Yes, Anastasia Steele, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Always so formal."

"That's not an answer."

"Are you looking for something in particular, Mr Grey?"

"Fuck yeah I am."

"Keep your hair on, Grey. And, stow your twitchy palm." She said in a singing voice.

"You're killing me here, baby."

"Ah yes, that's what I was waiting for."

"What is, baby?"

"No, that's your line. You're killing me here."

"Indeed you're observant. Still, I want an answer."

"Have you checked the time?"

"What about the time?"

"The 24 hours are over."

"So?"

"And I'm still here. So, what does that tell you?"

"It's a yes then."

"Duh."

"Baby! Please don't do that again."

"Do what?"

"I thought you're saying no."

"If I'm saying no, do you think I'm going to bother finding a way to let you down easy?"

"You have a point."

"I always do."

"Yes, yes, you do."

Grey also shredded the NDA in front of her.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

 **X**


	26. EPILOGUE

_**EPILOGUE**_

"Christian," she called after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Can you get me a pain killer?" She asked, her voice suddenly heavily laced with weariness.

"Are you in pain?" He asked, jumping out of his seat.

"Cramp," she explained.

He didn't know much about when it came to women and their mensural cycle, he only knew that it happened approximately every twenty-eight days. He had never seen a girl who would behave differently when they were on their periods, or perhaps it was because he didn't care and had expected his subs to sort themselves out; it was more likely the latter.

He came back with a cup of water and a pill. "You weren't like this all morning, what happened?"

"I had the pill before bed yesterday and then this morning in my heavy state of sleepiness. I forgot to eat one today at Kate's place earlier."

"Does this always happen?"

"You mean apart from my extremely irregular mensural cycle, does cramp always happen? Yeah, it does. It's always the worst on the first day and if I'm lucky I'll be good as new on the second day."

"Then what about your irregular cycle?"

"What about it? Other than the fact that I never have to worry about getting knocked-up and buy the stick to pee on, courtesy to the vasectomy, I am trying to find a doctor who can adjust my hormones a little."

"Try Dr Greene."

"Washington's best?" He nodded. "I can't get an appointment with her."

"I'll get one for you."

"Oh right! I forgot who you are. Yes, I'm glad that you're my boyfriend." She grinned. "Yes, please, can you get me an appointment?" She asked again, this time all jokes aside.

"Anything for you," he chuckled, actually finding his girlfriend cute and adorable at this moment. Notwithstanding, it was short-lived.

"Thank you! Love you, baby." She shot up from her seat and jumped into his lap.

"Have you ever thought of reversing your vasectomy?" He asked out of the blue.

"No, I mean if I want kids I wouldn't get a vasectomy in the first place. What's the point of getting it only to reverse it? Even a sex worker uses an IUD."

"How do you know about prostitutes?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm a regular visitor to Vegas." She shrugged but he was waiting for her to elaborate before jumping to conclusions. "For their casinos mostly, and also for other outdoor stuff, but it's hard for you to not run into sex workers if you're constantly in the casino, so it's inevitable for me to not have a conversation with them."

"And how did the talk of birth control came up?"

"It just did," she shrugged helplessly, "you're asking for too much here, Christian. I really don't remember a random conversation with a prostitute who I don't even remember the name of or their appearance."

He nodded accepting her words. "So you won't ever want kids?"

"Why are we even talking about this?" She asked, eyeing him with curiosity.

"We both have a vasectomy done when we were eighteen, I was just thinking if that was too much of a rash decision."

"Do you regret it?"

"Hell no," he thought back to the women that he had encountered who would fake their birth control proof with the intention of getting knocked-up by him to trap him.

"Then, what's possibly plaguing you? Do you want kids in the future?"

"Not in the near future, but I don't know."

"If you're thinking about building a family with me, Christian..."

"Oh don't get ahead of yourself." He kidded.

"No, I'm serious, Christian. I can see it in your eyes that you think I'm it for you."

For a moment he was unable to meet her eyes. No one, absolutely no one had been able to read him as clearly as she did; see him as transparent as she did.

"I need to warn you that I'm not a family-type of person. Sure, I can babysit. But, that's only for a set period of time, and it's short. I don't like kids in general, no matter how cute, small or adorable they are. It's not a responsibility that I'm willing to take, I think I told you that not long ago. I don't see myself ever having kids. While that may change in the distant future, but I just don't want to get your hopes up about building a family with me, because it ain't gonna happen in my mind."

"I don't want kids right now and I can't see myself being a father. So, I think we'll worry about the distant future when we get there. For the time being though, I'm just bothered about your vasectomy for some reason. I feel like you're depriving us another path. Like there are supposed to be two paths, but without vasectomies, we've cut off one already. Besides, my mom will be disappointed once she learns that Kate's pregnant and we're not even thinking about the future."

"You feel like you're being forced into something or following something without given a choice." He nodded in agreement, she completely understood what he was referring to, because for some time, some people who knew about her vasectomy had questioned her and placed doubt in her mind regarding her decision to get her tubes tied. She didn't regret it but for a short period of time, she had been thinking over and over about it, only to realize that she was stressing over nothing.

They were sitting in comfortable silence once again. She had moved to take up the entire couch in his study, her feet dangling off the arm rest and her head resting on the other since the chair was small.

"Do you always sit on sofas like that?"

"No," she replied with a dubious look, "of course I don't!"

"Just curious," he smirked.

"What do you peg me as?"

"I don't know, really. But, I can totally imagine you like that at some party." He shrugged, not truly meaning what he had accused her of. He knew she was relaxed and feeling at ease with him, so would show him her true form.

Her eyes surveyed his study, finding the conversation utterly pointless. "You have darts?" She bolted up from her seat, her eyes shining with child-like excitement. "You play? Any good?"

"No," he chuckled, standing up to setup the dart board. Admitting defeat before she could come up with some bets and he'd find himself signing away his entire asset.

"Really?" She laughed knowing he feared any competition or contest with her because she wouldn't challenge him if she wasn't confident that she'd win a hundred percent. "Okay, you work, and I'll play by myself." She decided, taking the darts from his hand and took a few steps back facing the board.

"Point to a place," she told him when she saw the he had no intention of working because he was in no mood of doing so. "Just do it," she repeated when he raised a doubtful eyebrow at her confidence.

He walked up to the board and pointed to the center of it.

"Lame," she commented. A dart flying toward it in high speed and pinning right into the spot where his finger occupied not a second ago.

"Jesus, Anastasia, are you trying to attach my finger to the board?"

"I could try."

"Can you just chill a little. I'm not completely convinced of your accuracy. I know you won't hurt me intentionally."

"Oh, okay," she nodded in understanding. "Point to another spot," she told him, and he did, this time, at the very edge around the two o'clock direction. It got there at precisely the point Christian had pointed to.

"Damn, you're good."

"I'm better at throwing thins than shooting with guns for some reason. Probably threw too much tantrum when I was a kid," she joked. They repeated the motions until she had the last one on the board. "Did you just made me write the letter G? You are so full of yourself." She kidded at his smug look upon seeing the shape her darts had formed. "Conceited," she said of him looking so proud of himself.

"You love me," he shrugged, not giving a damn about the world. "Hey, but the way," he said after re-taking a seat behind his desk, groaning at the email from Head of Public Relations, Sam, asking about the photographs and the gossip articles. He would deal with it later, release a statement or something. "You said there's a dance party at the Mile High Club tonight, right?" He looked away from his computer screen to see her nodding her head, a dainty stray of hair falling out from the back of her ear. "And, I promised to show you how to have fun, didn't I?"

"I still don't believe it one bit."

"I stand by my statement," he grinned, "you'll know what's it like to be served with the best cocktail of your life all night long."

"Now you're just bluffing," she called out thinking he was bullshitting.

"You'll see that I'm not," he argued back with as much patience as he had.

"Do you think you can fool me? Don't think I've never been a bartender before."

"Oh, I'm well aware of your plentiful life experiences. But," he paused dramatically, "I'm sure you've never had the full Christian Grey experience," he said cheekily. "Actually, don't sweat it, no one has."

"Someone's very cocky lately," she commented lightly.

"Only to impress my girl."

"Then, perhaps I should put this ring into good use tonight."

"You should. That's something I'm definitely witnessing."

"Good, because tonight's all on you!" She proclaimed and he rolled his eyes.

"It's my club," he deadpanned.

"Even better then," she clapped, showing her enthusiasm. "I look forward to spending your money tonight."

"Speaking of rings," he said, trying not to turn the atmosphere serious.

"What about them?"

"What do you think of these?" He asked, pulling out a pair of black rings. It was made out of zirconium, the band was black and there was a strip of turquoise around it.

"It's pretty," she had to admit that they weren't bad looking, because it certainly appeared better than those traditional shiny metal ones. The ones with a huge-ass rock on them from whatever cut and a shiny band. She just didn't like them, and she would probably break them somehow unintentionally.

"Do you like it?" He asked, holding the matching set in his palm.

"Where is this going?" She avoided the question and stared at him. "You lost the Monopoly game," she sat up, now understanding his intentions. "You lost it fair and square." She reminded him, "I've got the R8 now."

"I know, but if I'm honest, I'll feel much better and more secure if you wear it as a promise ring."

"You think I'd forget about the promise I made you?" She said, referring to the pact.

"It's not that," he hesitated, trying to organize his speech, "I don't like that ring on your finger but I know it is just a tool."

"So, it's your issue then," she concluded.

He looked at her and nodded slowly once, that was probably the best summary for the current situation.

"Okay," she said, sticking out her hand for him to put the ring on.

"What?" He gaped at her with a puzzled expression.

"You've convinced me. I'll wear it," she told him, "it's as simple as that. I may be stubborn but I'm not unreasonable." She elaborated, waiting for him to slide the ring on.

"That, I do agree." He muttered, sliding the ring on to her left middle finger. He, in return, offered his left hand for her to put the ring on.

"I just remembered something," she perked up suddenly as she slid the ring on to his hand. She didn't see too much into the meaning of the ring other than it being a reminder of their pact, but a part of her knew that Grey was staking his claim.

"What?" He decided not to comment on her lack of enthusiasm for their matching rings, he shouldn't expect it from a girl like her anyways.

"There's a Fit Expo in LA soon, and also a Tattoo Convention. I need to check the location of that."

"You want to go?"

"I always go. Never missed a single time since I first been there."

"Give me the details and I'll check with Andrea."

"So, are you willing to go?"

"If I'm not going, who will you go with?"

"Luke, we always attend those things. We met there. Besides, if Ethan has time, he'll join us. I've got a bunch of celebrity fitness trainers going with me to the Fit Expo, too. So, I really don't mind if you can't make it."

"I've never been to one."

"I know, you're probably only hearing about it for the first time, now."

"I am."

"I can take you," she offered. "If you go with me, I might be more tamed, at least in the Tattoo Convention." She chuckled, then proceeded to explain what she meant by that. "I tend to do dares with Luke and Ethan at the convention, and we'd tattoo each other whenever we lost a dare or a bet. So we'd get silly tattoos."

"That's crazy," he gaped.

"I know, which is why I've been doing everything to not lose, and so far, I haven't gotten a single silly ones. I've only got one tattoo and it's the one I got out of my own free will." She pointed to her arm with pride.

"What about the Fit Expo?"

"That's just fitness; you'll like it. Everyone there is muscular and a fitness freak. There are tons of equipments. Newly invented ones or the old ones. You'll meet all kinds of people. There are people who went just to meet muscular guys or guys who are trying to gain some muscles. Or women who are trying to lose some weight. You see all kinds there, but if you hangout with me, you'll be doing fitness all day and exercising. We basically surveys every station and tries practically everything. It'll be really fun." She gushed about the Expo from her memory.

"Who are those celebrity trainers?"

"Some are just people who host fitness programs, some are people who post their workouts on Instagram for their followers to follow and do. But, most are trainers of those Hollywood stars. You know, when there's an action movie, the actors and actresses in them would need to get into shape so they could pull the stunts that they'd pull in front of the camera?"

"Oh, them?"

"Yeah, them; they're really nice people in person, and some of them will even tell you stories of their clients. I know one who's trained Gal Gadot." He looked confused, "Wonder Woman." He shook his head. "Whatever, not important; I like her." She added, though it was completely unnecessary. "Anyway, she told me stories of how Gal would just surrender on instinct whenever someone tried to attack her. But, she also told me that Gal did Krav Maga. So, imagine my reaction when I saw her bloopers."

"Don't they have to sign like NDAs?"

"Not all clients require them to do so. Some, like rich fat business guys like you, well minus the fat part. They'd just hire a personal trainer and expect their weight to just drop. It was funny listening to their stories because most of them couldn't even complete one set of workout. It was very interesting to hear those trainers lament about their clients."

She was trying to get his interest up, but she knew she was kind of failing. Other than the fact that he was interested in the fitness component of the Fit Expo, he wasn't exactly thrilled about the social part. She could understand why, because she knew first hand that it could be exhausting to keep up with a group of people, especially when those people weren't exactly your closest buddies.

"Do I have to get a tattoo at that convention?"

"No, but you'll see all kinds. I know some artists there."

"I'll think about it."

"Don't feel like you're forced to go, Christian. I promise there'll be no funny business when I go to those things with the guys."

He still looked unconvinced but there was nothing she could do.

…

"Ana," Kate's hushed tone worried her.

"Are you okay?"

"Can I come over?"

"I'm at Christian's."

"Even better. Elliot wants to ambush Christian with a night out and I need a girls night in because I think…" she trailed off, and Anastasia could guess exactly what she was referring to. She glanced at Christian who was on his phone, typing furiously, she didn't know if it was an email or an argument with someone over text.

"Uh, yeah, you can come over, though I'm not sure about the night-in, Kate." She said hesitantly.

"So, it's not going to be an ambush anymore…"

"I think Christian doesn't have time to go out with Elliot tonight. We're both really busy. Maybe you can just tell Elliot to stay put. Christian needs to catch up on work and his COO is coming over to bring him up to date." She told her truthfully, and Kate could hear that Anastasia wasn't declining a chance to hangout, they really were busy.

"Okay, I'll come over then."

"I'll buzz you up, just text me when you get here. Or Elliot can give you the code or something." Anastasia said her goodbyes and hung up. "Kate's coming over," she told Christian.

He frowned. "Why?"

"She thinks she's pregnant."

"She's what?" He exclaimed nearly jumping up from his seat knocking over his desk.

"That's my guess, she's not being explicit enough. I don't know," she shrugged, "you can't tell anyone though, Christian," she warned. "Not even Elliot. I'll make sure Kate doesn't chicken out and tells him when she finds out." She told him. "I just don't want to keep anything from you, so I'll tell you now just to keep your anxiety from skyrocketing."

Despite that, Christian was still glaring at her, but Anastasia had no other choice but to shrug helplessly.

"Just trying to choose what's best…" she stood up and left the room only to have the door open up in her face. "Fuck!" She jumped back to avoid being hit, "jeez, chill, woman." She tutted at Ros who was standing on the other side staring at her. She couldn't help but laugh at Anastasia's reaction, she knew if it was anyone else, the girl would've bit her tongue to stop that comment from coming out.

"Hello to you, too, chica." Ros nudged her shoulder when she entered the room.

"Can you show Ana a picture of Gwen." Christian blurted out, suddenly remembering the conversation that was still in his mind from earlier.

"Sure, why?" She took out her phone after dropping everything on the chair that Anastasia was just sitting on.

"I think Ana knows her."

"Gwen probably knows a lot of people," Ros shrugged. "She likes to dance at the Mile High."

"Pole dancing?" Anastasia asked.

"Yeah," Ros nodded. "So you know her?"

Anastasia grinned and nodded. "She's hit on me the first time she met me, just like you."

"The both of you!" Christian exclaimed, sitting up straighter in his chair. "Sheesh, I need to look after my girl now." He glared at Ros then at Anastasia who's smirk only gotten wider.

"What's that saying? Wise mind think alike." Ros stuck her tongue out at her Boss and turned to Anastasia to show her the picture. "Is that her?"

"Yes! She's your wife?" Anastasia gaped, and Ros nodded proudly. "Do you know that she's meeting Luke later today to save another friend of mine's ass."

"She mentioned something about having to meet Luke for some photoshoot for a romance book cover, but I didn't really listen. I don't usually pay attention to that. She's done that before."

"For romance cover? I hate those photoshoots." Anastasia grimaced at those experiences.

"That's Gwen's thing, not yours," Ros agreed. "She's a seasonally employed worker, so she only works when there's a festival. She's like a festival manager."

"Those that organize big events?"

"Yeah, something like that." Ros nodded.

"Ah, cool. I'll leave you two to it then. I've gotta go meet my girl." She nodded at the two before leaving the office.

"She's a keeper, Grey."

"I heard that!" Anastasia shouted from somewhere not far.

"Stop eavesdropping," Christian yelled back. "Close the door, Ros." He instructed, Ros got up to shut it completely, blocking out all the noises.

"Okay, Stephen Morton."

…

The elevator's ring announced the arrival of Katherine Kavanagh.

"So, Grey lives here."

"Yeah, I call it the Ivory Tower." Anastasia replied, coming out of the kitchen with a bottle of water in her hands. She was going to drink it to herself, but that apparently set Kate off into panic mode.

"Oh my god, Ana," she rushed to her best friend grabbed her wrists, while the best friend was only trying to unscrew the cap so she could take a drink from it.

"You're late, I know, so you're suspecting that you're pregnant."

"I don't have any symptoms though."

"That's good, right? I mean, do you want to have a baby?"

"No," she almost yelled, "not right now at least. I'm not even sure if Elliot is _the one_."

"Oh," Anastasia replied calmly, "Kate, I'm thirsty." She told her friend as gently as possible. "It's for me, not you."

Kate loosened her grip on Anastasia's wrists, but she still looked worked up.

"I told Christian that you suspect that you're pregnant."

"Why the fuck would you do that, Ana?" Kate screamed. "You're going to betray me the minute you got a good dick to sit on."

"No!" Anastasia slammed the bottle down on to the table. "No, Kate, I told him because this is his house. I swore him to secrecy and I told him that you'd be the one to break whatever news to Elliot and he's going to keep his fucking mouth shut! And, at this moment, he's in a meeting with his second-in-command. I just needed you to know that. I am not betraying your trust, Kate."

Kate visibly relaxed, but her muscles were still tense.

"Shall we do it now?" Anastasia asked once Kate had calmed down a little bit more.

"I need a strong one."

"Kate, what if you really are pregnant?"

"I don't care."

"Kate, don't," Anastasia begged. "You'll regret that and you'll blame me for not stopping you, so I'm doing it now."

"I didn't even buy a test."

"Then we'll go do it now."

"There's a swarm of paparazzi out side being dealt with by the police, I don't think you're able to get out."

"Fine, then we'll send a security to do so."

Kate flushed. "No, I'll go get it."

"We'll get a woman to do it, okay? She won't say anything, besides, she works for Christian and Christian already knows what you're doing here." She tried to come up with a solution to appease her nerve-wrecking friend. "Please, Kate? I can't go out there, and you're certainly not in the right state of mind to do so."

Kate nodded reluctantly.

"Sit here and you can drink my water, but don't even think about touching a drop of alcohol." Anastasia warned before setting off to the security office to find Belinda. On her way, she thought better of it and went to Jason's quarter hoping Gail would be there.

"Gail?" She knocked on the door where Gail was sitting in the room knitting.

"Hey, Ana," she stood up and walked over giving her a quick hug. "Is everything okay?"

"Um… my friend, Kate, she thinks she's pregnant."

"Oh my," Gail's jaw dropped. "What can I do to help?"

"Can you and Belinda go to the drug store to get her a few tests, please? There are too many paps outside and Christian will throw a fit if I walk out."

"Oh my god, yes," she discarded her entire knitting set and went in search of Belinda who was supposedly in the security room with another guy that was on duty.

"Thank you so much, Gail!"

"Anything to help." She replied before disappearing down the hall, and Anastasia returned to the kitchen where she had left Kate.

"What did you tell Elliot?"

"I didn't tell him that I'm coming here. I just told him that I'm off to see you. He doesn't even know that you're with Christian. He thought you're probably in our apartment."

"Did you also tell him that we can't hangout tonight? Perhaps tomorrow night?"

"We'll see," Kate replied, looking down. "I really don't want to have a baby. I should've gotten a vasectomy like you did."

"Kate, no, you've always been more of a family person that I am. Hell, I've just got my head bitten off for getting that fucking vasectomy at the age of eighteen by Christian earlier."

"Why?"

"He thinks we're depriving him of a choice," Anastasia snorted with an eye roll.

"What, does he want kids?"

"Fuck no."

"Then why's he so unhappy about your vasectomy?"

"He just doesn't like to have his hands being forced. You've interviewed him, you should know." Anastasia said, she really didn't want to get into details with Kate of her relationship with her boyfriend, but anything to get Kate's mind off the test.

"I don't remember much about that interview, other than the fact that it got me into Seattle Times."

"I mean you got into USC's journalism, which was already something. Now, you've landed yourself an interview with Christian Grey, Seattle Times would be blind to reject your application."

"I hounded him for four years."

"Oh yeah, I think he's mentioned it to me."

"Like I knew that I needed to have something jaw-dropping or some kind of breaking news to get that spot in Seattle Times, and I came up blank. Then, he made his first billion and he made the news. I was so down at the time when he gave that press conference after becoming the youngest billionaire on the West Coast. I thought I had lost my chance because he's going to be interviewed by so many other people, and I need that project four years later."

"Then you found out that he doesn't do interviews."

"Yes, and I was determined to be the first one to get an interview out of him."

"He said you've been hounding his team for the longest time that they were forced to tell him about you."

"Wait, so he didn't know about it at first?"

"No, your requests were all being blocked by his team. Until like probably a year or so later that his team brought this up to him."

"Yeah, and he fucking rejected me personally."

Anastasia laughed, she could imagine the look on Christian's face when he saw the resume of some wannabe journalism majored student wanting to interview him.

"He can be so full of himself," Anastasia kidded. "He thinks he's the best but he keeps forgetting that he was in the same position as you when he first started it."

"Is that why he granted me that interview?"

"Heck no, I wish that man can have more empathy. But, no, he granted it because he admires your relentlessness. His words not mine," Anastasia added, "besides, I think he's right to give you a chance."

Kate sighed, feeling that the conversation was over, so she started a new one. "You're going to the dance party tonight, right?"

"Yeah, it's Christian's club." Anastasia felt some sort of pride when she said that it belonged to her boyfriend.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Sean just reminded me about it, so that's why I'm cancelling your invitation to a girls night."

"I'll ask if Elliot wants to go."

"Tell him that his little brother is going, and he'll definitely be there."

"Christian's going?"

Anastasia nodded. "Yup, he said he's going make my drinks for the entire night," she added with a giddy giggle.

"Damn, Steele, you really know how to pick 'em."

"What was your first impression of Christian when you interviewed him?"

"He was shrewd, calculating and manipulative. I wouldn't say he's cold because every businessman is when it comes to interviews or shit like that. They wouldn't want to give away too much. He does look powerful and has this natural dominance."

Anastasia couldn't help but laugh at the description. She had completely forgotten about the invitation to the music video that she and Christian had planned on making, but she had also convinced herself that they needed to do more planning and thinking before they tell anyone about it. She didn't believe that Christian's discussion with Jason about the filming locations were good enough, because she didn't think Christian could be bothered to put much thought into it. He probably just wanted to get it done, like all his other projects. And this, took the fun out of everything.

"I can't believe we're sitting here, in his house, judging my boyfriend like he's some random guy on the street."

"He's somewhat like an alpha-male," Kate concluded with a giggle.

"Really?" Anastasia stared at Kate with a straight face, but when the latter nodded furiously, she lost it.

Then, Kate added:"I think he's the kind of man that you need in your life."

 _Fin._

* * *

 **Special thanks to _JB, Guest, SianJohn, Christian618, fundays, Cait4321, Onedirection2013, Munkeyfump20_ and _CTHEWOODS_ for sticking with me!**

 _Laters, baby x_

-SapphireTrafficker-


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